


Blue-Eyed Mutant

by wherenonagoes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-25
Packaged: 2017-11-12 19:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 39,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wherenonagoes/pseuds/wherenonagoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel Novak and Gabriel Milton had been quite fine in their small diner, hiding what they were from the world. It wasn't until two customers came in that Castiel worried for their safety, what with mutants being hunted down now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first fic, and it might be a bit much for it being so. Un-beta'd.

Castiel sighed as he entered his room. The day had been long, and tiring, school was finally beginning to wear him out. He had been confronted by his teacher today, saying he was acting odd, but when Castiel asked how, his teacher dismissed him, and he went on his way. He was now standing in front of his bed, smiling at the thought of sleeping, but the sun hadn't even begun to set, and he had loads of homework.

  
Castiel changed out of his clothes, and into something more comfy, before entering the bathroom and rubbing his eyes. They had begun to itch, and it had been quite annoying. He looked into the mirror, leaning close to see if anything had gotten into them. He looked back at himself, the dark brown hair and eyes staring back. There wasn't anything that seemed to look as though it could be bothering his vision.

Suddenly, a blinding heat came over his eyes, and he screamed, falling back onto the ground, his eyes tightly shut he tried to rid himself of this pain. It just kept getting worse, and Castiel tried to keep quiet, knowing his mother and father wouldn't want him to be making such noise. Suddenly, the pain was lifted, and he shuddered, feeling a tingling on his back before that burst in pain as well. A burning and scratching sensation came over him, and all Castiel could do was curl into a ball as the pain overtook him, sending him to unconsciousness.

The next time Castiel was awake, he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. Everything was just so _sharp_ and defined, that it literally hurt to look anywhere. He stood back up, and felt the cloth of his shirt fall away. As soon as he was on his feet, he felt an added weight to his back, and upon looking in the mirror, he wished this was a dream. Castiel opened his eyes again, not allowing himself to shut them as he looked at himself. Startling blue eyes stared back, and behind him were a pair of enormous black feathered wings. It made him a bit lightheaded, and he leaned onto the counter, folding his wings back without a thought. He couldn't really see them, and suddenly, the weight on his back vanished. Castiel turned around in the mirror, and noted the massive mark they made on his back. Covering each side of his back, the wings were clearly visible, and with another thought, they popped back out, the weight adding itself once again.

This was not what he had wanted for his fifteenth birthday. He had been hoping for a book, but instead, he was cursed.... cursed with being a mutant.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel was doing just fine, and then some stupidly handsome human walked into his diner lookingunknowingly for him.

It wasn't until the alarm had gone off that Castiel realized he had fallen asleep at all. The last few nights had been horrid, as Gabriel had pushed him onto the couch, claiming that he needed both beds. Castiel couldn't deny him that, both of the men had been having a rough week, what with all the snow and rain constantly pounding towards the earth. It gave them no time to stretch their extra limbs. He shrugged his shoulders, his black wings moving as he shifted to look towards the clock. Nine o'clock.. he really had slept in. Castiel, being himself, usually woke up a good ten minutes before his alarm had gone off, and the fact that it was now waking him up, well, it was odd to say the least.

He stood up, stretching his wings out in the spacious room. The two had made sure that there was nothing that could be broken by a stray wing, and so, he could just stretch without having to worry. Another shrug of his shoulders, and the wings folded in on his back, vanishing as they left their mark.

Walking over to the only bedroom their apartment had, he knocked, and after waiting a few second, opened it. What he saw was exactly what he had expected. Gabriel was sprawled out on the beds that had been pushed together, his wings lying sprawled out behind him. Castiel had to guess it was different, to have six wings instead of only two, so he was sympathetic when Gabriel asked for something. A small brush of his mind against the other man's and Gabriel jolted awake, rubbing his eyes and blinking as Castiel opened the curtains to let light in.

"God, Cas, what time is it?" ' _Nine o'clock_ ,' he put the thought into Gabriel's head, and the other man nodded, stretching his arms and wings before his too were gone, leaving the marks people had come to regard as tattoos.The rest of the morning went as such, Castiel answering Gabe's questions with his telepathy, and both of them getting ready to leave for work. At half past ten, they finally got out, and were walking towards the parking lot. A small brown mustang awaited them, and they got in, Gabriel driving towards the diner.

As they stepped into work, they got their aprons, and name-tags, taking their positions; Gabe was the waiter, and Castiel was in the kitchen, making the food, and occasionally, when there wasn't anyone really in the diner, cleaning the tables and doing the dishes.

The day would be another slow one, it had been since they weren't allowing mutants within the city, and they had been one of the few diners who had before the law was passed. No one knew that Gabriel and Castiel were mutants, except the woman who owned the diner, who hadn't told a soul.

The day passed by slowly and lazily, and they had their regular rush hours at lunch and dinner. It wasn't till around almost ten that Ellen came out of her office, throwing a ring of keys towards Gabriel. "Lock up for me, will you? Close at eleven, like always. Thanks dearie," she smiled at the two and left, the door ringing as she did. "Cas... we could probably close early and she wouldn't even notice," he got that wicked grin on his face, like he always did when he was thinking of doing something they most likely shouldn't. Castiel was about to send him the thought of 'We have to listen to Ellen' when the door opened and closed again, admitting two men, who seemed to be having a heated conversation. "I'm telling you Sammy, these winged mutants are scaring the crap out of people." That was when Castiel froze as he was cleaning a table.

________________________________

Seriously, Dean had had enough of this crap. The mutants should have already turned themselves in. There was no use, they were the last ones in the whole damn city, and now people were looking to him and Sam to find them and turn them in. "I'm telling you Sammy, these winged mutants are scaring the crap out of people," he said, effectively cutting off the conversation they had started back in the Impala. Sam gave him a frown, and the two took a booth near the door, seeing as no one else was in the diner. Sure, it was late, but at least they had found some place to eat.

A short man, with golden brown hair walked over, handing them menus. "Hey guys, just look over the menus and shout when you need something. The name's Gabriel, and I'll be your waiter," the man said, and Dean could have sworn he winked at Sam. Looking towards his brother, his suspicion was proved correct with the red across his face.

The short man left them, and Dean scanned the rest of the diner, and his eyes stopped on the only other person there. It was another man, taller than the waiter, Gabriel, but still a little shorter than Dean himself. The only thing that stood out was the fact that he was staring at them, and well, with eyes as blue as his, how could Dean not shiver? He turned back towards his brother, who had started talking, though not a word had reached Dean's ears. "What was that?" Sam sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked over his menu. Dean did the same, and smiled. Bacon cheeseburgers, as soon as he saw it there he knew what he wanted.

As he was looking for a dessert, pie namely, he caught out of the corner of his eye Gabriel and the mystery man standing in a corner, blue-eyes' back facing him, and apparently talking to their waiter. Dean couldn't hear anything though, and Gabriel then glanced over at them before replying to whatever the other man had said. "It's okay Castiel, just play it cool, and get back to the kitchen. I'll get their orders, and as soon as they're gone, so are we." Dean looked back to his menu, trying to appear as though he didn't hear that.

Gabriel soon walked back over to them, "So what'll you have?" He didn't have a notepad and pen with him, and Dean noted that in his own head. "I'll have the bacon cheeseburger and a slice of apple pie," he said, folding his menu and having it to him. "I'll have the... Fruit salad, with a banana milkshake," Sam smiled at their waiter, and Gabe winked, again, leaving them and putting the menus behind the counter before turning to the other man, Castiel. Dean smirked, looking at his brother.

"You have a crush on the waiter," he told him, leaning back in his chair, chuckling slightly. Sam glared daggers at Dean, his face bursting with color. "Do not. He's just... nice." "Sure, he's just nice. Mmmhmm." Sam huffed and Dean couldn't help but laugh.

Then it turned serious as Dean got a phone call. "It's Dean," he answered, Sam looking at him confused. No one knew they had left Lawrence, so who would be calling? "Dean, it's Samuel. I heard you're taking the case Michael put out... I'd regularly tell ya' that this case has been going for a longer time than me, and that you should just avoid it, but I've got some people there who can help you, okay?" Dean sighed as he heard the familiar voice, and nodded, though he knew that his grandfather couldn't really see that. He then heard a crash come from the kitchen, and he jumped a bit, looking over to where the kitchen was. "What the hell was that?" he asked, Gabriel rushing behind to the other man. "Nothing, just a plate. Your food will be right out, don't worry!" was all he got, and he grumbled. "So you boys okay? Those slippery devils have been there three years, Dean. Just be careful, and remember, if you can shoot the wing, it's down." With that, the call was over, and Dean was pocketing his phone.

Gabriel was soon over with their food, rushing back to the kitchen without a word. If Dean was good at reading people, he'd say the man was worried. The two brothers dug into their food, and at the first bite of the burger Dean actually moaned. Nothing this amazing had gone past his mouth before, and he savored every part of it. "Do you two need a room?" Sam chuckled and continued to eat his own food. "Bitch," Dean called him through a full mouth. "Jerk," his brother returned. It didn't take long for them to finish, and Gabriel was coming around, picking their plates up and whatnot, but Sam and Dean stayed at the table, their voices hushed as they continued to talk. "Dean, the sightings have all been at night... but the snow and rain the past couple weeks there have been no sightings. It's supposed to storm tonight, all I'm saying is that there isn't a chance for it. We should just go back to the motel and sleep till morning," his brother said. Dean rolled his eyes, unable to fight his brother's logic. "Fine, then let's get going."

The two bothers stood, and Dean nodded towards the other two men, who were talking, well, Gabriel was, behind the counter. Sam got into the passenger's seat as Dean entered the driver's, and he started the Impala. As he drove out onto the road he looked over at Sam. "Sammy, those two men were giving off some weird vibes. You catch 'em?" Sam nodded, and Dean sighed. He had been hoping he could get another bacon cheeseburger.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Gabriel ready themselves to leave, but the day of their departure, Sam and Dean once again visit the diner, and it only makes their urge to leave worse

Castiel had been trembling ever since they left the diner, ever since those two.. people had come in. He would have to admit that it wasn't just Dean's thoughts that hurt him, but it was also just him. He had such a good reason to hate people like him, mutants, but it only made it hurt worse. He had been, for lack of a better word to describe him, beautiful. Castiel finally just collapsed onto his bed, and he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face. They had been here, and had been hiding so efficiently, why now? It didn't make sense to him, and soon he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Cas, we gotta pack. We're leaving tomorrow after our shifts at The Roadhouse. Come on, you can take a shower afterwards and then sleep."

So that was what they did. They got duffle bags from the closet, and packed them full with clothes, books, photos, anything they could. Castiel had a separate bag for his laptop and his charger, so he would be carrying a heavier load when they finally did leave. He had his stuff by the door, and Gabriel put his bag next to his. "We'll have to go to South Dakota ... you know Balthazar is there, he'll help." 'He doesn't trust me.' "I know, but he'll smooth out with me there, trust me." Castiel sighed, and Gabriel then pushed him into the bathroom.

The shower was well needed, and the hot water relaxed his muscles, he would have brought his wings out if not for the fact that they would be wet, and he wouldn't be able to bring them back in until they dried, so not till the next day. Castiel thought about it, and gave in, his black wings unfurling slowly from his back to have the water hit and relax the tense muscles in his extra limbs. It felt so incredibly good that he hadn't realized he had taken a long shower till Gabriel was banging on the door. Castiel quickly dried off, keeping his wings close to him and taking an extra towel, planning to dry his wings off manually. "Dude, you'd better be thorough."

Gabriel took his time in the shower, coming out with his wings out as well, seeing as they might as well get as relaxed as they can before they need to fly away. They pushed the beds apart, helped each other dry their wings off, and were then in bed, falling asleep quickly.

The next morning wasn't good, they put their bags in a closet, hoping no one would try and break into the house, and were back off to the diner, though Castiel couldn't help but tremble as he thought about the men last night, and what they had been planning to do to them. As they parked, Gabriel looked over to his friend, and as he went out to pat him on the shoulder, Castiel shied away from his hand. The two went into the diner, and worked the entire day. Though around lunch it was interesting.

The rush had come in, and just about ending when the same two men, Sam and Dean from what he had read from their minds, walked in, taking a table in the back. Gabriel walked over to their table as though the last night hadn't happened, and walked back with their orders. "Same thing, Cas. And... why don't we switch positions. You need to move around a bit more." Castiel nodded, but not before sending a glare his way. He walked out of the kitchen, taking order from the other few tables that people occupied, and gave them to Gabriel, who in turn gave him Sam and Dean's order. "Just see what you can read from them, okay? Be careful." Castiel nodded, holding the tray as he walked over to the back table.

"The bacon cheeseburger, a piece of apple pie for.. Dean?" he said, words feeling weird on his tongue. He'd kept from speaking as much as he could, not liking it. Castiel was a bit surprised by how Dean looked at him, just staring. Castiel couldn't help but stare back, and was only able to look away as he gave them their food. "If you need anything.. call and I will come. My name is Castiel." "Okey dokey, Cas." The voice alone of the older brother made Cas tremble, and he was pretty sure it was visible too. He glanced back at the man, and caught a thought, 'Damn his eyes are blue. Too bad we'll be turning him in later tonight.' Castiel dropped his tray, scrambling to pick it up as he hurried into the kitchen.

"What is it Cassie? Need me to call Andy and Bela over to take over, so we can leave early?" Castiel quickly shook his head and picked the tray back up. 'I'm fine. Dean... he knows about us somehow Gabriel. I just, just let me continue in the kitchen.' Gabe nodded and took the tray and replaced it with two, walking out of the kitchen with them on either arm. Castiel sighed and closed his eyes before returning to his work. The rest of the day went by fine, and Ellen let them off at ten.

As they raced back to the apartment, Castiel nearly jumped out of the old mustang and towards their door. "Cas, calm down, jeeze. We need to wait till midnight anyways." 'No, we must leave now Gabriel. He.... he scares me.' Gabe stood back, looking at his friend and Castiel bit his lip. "Alright, but we have to be careful, alright? Let's get those special sweaters and shirts on. It's gonna be cold, but clear." Castiel smiled at his friend and dug into their closet, pulling out two plain white shirts and thick gray sweaters. It was hard getting them on, even if they were fit for their wings, and as soon as they did, Castiel wished they could flee faster a different way.

They climbed to the top of the building, bags slung over shoulders as they prepared to take off. "Cas, you know.. they weren't that bad looking." He couldn't stop himself form speaking, "They might have been handsome, but we can not afford to stay here, not when they are chasing us." Gabe took a step back, shocked his friend had spoken. The shorter man nodded, and Castiel nodded in return, facing the city. It was dark, and the lights were illuminating the clouds only slightly. With a quick jump, Castiel was in the air, flapping his wings to get higher. At least, he had been before something hit his wing. He was sent spiraling downwards, but was able to glide into an alley, falling into a dumpster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything has gone wrong, and an escape root isn't visible at this time.

Pain racked his whole body, something he hadn't really experienced before, not counting the time Gabe had nearly torn off his wing. He couldn't see, the dark surrounding him, and he cried out, unable to stop himself. "CASTIEL!" he heard Gabriel yell, and saw his friend diving towards him, his six wings flapping hard to get to his friend. "STOP IT'S A TRAP!" It was too late though, and something shot Gabriel as well, and he fell, landing just across the way from Castiel. 

Soon, as he couldn't move, he felt the dumpster make him fall onto the ground, and felt someone forcing his wings back, though they weren't able to vanish, not when one was wounded. It hurt, and there was a rope tied around him, but he dared not open his eyes. 

Then he was forced to stand, and he finally did open his eyes to see exactly what he had been hearing in his mind. Dean and Sam were helping, well, guiding him to a truck that looked too well equipped. They pushed him in, and he saw Gabriel, knocked out, his wings tied back in what looked like a painful position. "Good job, guys," Castiel's eyes widened as he heard the new voice, looking towards the new mind. This was not good.

"Don't mention it Gordon. We'll have to return the van later though, after we've been back from city hall," that was Sam, and Castiel trembled, unable to voice the danger they were in. "That'll be okay, I'll hitch a ride with you guys there.." then there was another shot, and another, and two more bodies were being pushed into the back of the van.  
Castiel reached out to the other minds, and wasn't surprised to see them both just knocked out. 'Gabriel, you must wake. We're being taken to city hall, and Gordon is taking Dean and Sam too.' The mention of the younger brother must have caught the man's attention, and Gabriel cried out as he regained consciousness. "Castiel!" he shouted, and screamed in pain, his wings folded back being too much. 

The shout must have done something, for the other two men began to stir as well. Castiel tried to maneuver himself towards Gabriel, getting away from the two men who were beginning to wake. He couldn't help but worry. These two men had been after them, and they weren't restrained, what would they do to them? It was Sam who first came to, and was rubbing his head, groaning as he felt the pain that had been caused to him. Castiel was quick to scan over the massive hum- no. Sam... he was a mutant too. He didn't know his powers, but his eyes were keen enough to at least tell him that. 

The wound, where Sam had gotten shot, was his lower abdomen, but.. it wasn't with a bullet. Castiel could tell just from a quick scan of his mind. "Dean... Dean are you alright?" As the bigger man began to worry about his brother, Castiel turned towards Gabriel, moving forward more. 'Gabriel... how hurt are you? How is your wing?' "I'm fine Cas... it'll be patched up by tomorrow night.. if it doesn't get worse.... and we get the bullet out." Castiel trembled, and he nodded towards his friend. The rope binding him while his wings were beginning to burn. He bit his lip, keeping the screams concealed as he shifted and it dug in more. He felt the other minds in the truck stir at they noticed his pain and he tried his best to hide it. 

It only took a couple minutes, but then Gabriel and Castiel were situated on one side of the truck, and Dean and Sam on the other. The two brothers were occupied with getting whatever they had been shot with out or off of their bodies, and then they leaned against their side, sighing. "Hey, Dean-o, mind unroping us?" Gabriel moved a bit but winced, his wing still sending waves of pain throughout his body. "No! You're mutants, and even if this dick head Gordon thinks we are, we're still not untying you." "Dean..." "No Sam, leave them." "But Dean! This is what I was telling you about!" The brothers grew silent, and Castiel kept himself from probing their minds, knowing it would not be kind. "Fine, turn around." Dean motioned to Cas and Gabe, and they did as they were told. 

Castiel gasped as he felt gentle hands push his wings back ever so slightly, the pain not unbearable, but unexpected, as the ropes were cut with a pocket knife Dean had supplied. "Thank you," he voiced, and Gabriel looked to him, a bit spooked he had spoken at all. The two other men were unbound, and Gabriel was leaning against the back of the truck, his wings sprawled out as he searched for the bullet that had hit him. "We're sorry about that... if we had known that Gordon would turn on us we wouldn't have used real bullets. Here, let me help." Sam moved over, taking the bloody wing in his hand, smoothing the feather to feel the puncture wound. Dean scanned over Castiel, and they stared at each other before the human said something, "Want me to help you with yours too?" 'That would be most appreciated, thank you Dean.' At sending that thought towards the man, his eyes widened. 

"I am sorry... I didn't mean to overstep my boundary," Castiel looked away in shame, knowing people didn't really like having their minds invaded. Dean just shook it off, moving towards him again and holding his left wing, feeling for the wetness. It was a lot harder, Castiel's wings being black and all. "It's... really wedged in here," he heard Dean say before another shock of pain went through his left wing. This time he did yell. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam." Castiel nodded, biting his lip. "I'm Gabriel Milton," Gabe smiled, though he was going through similar pain. "Castiel Novak." That was all Cas could manage until the pain override his brain and unconsciousness racked his head.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group decides to rest, and talk before devising a way out.

It wasn’t till later, as he could tell from simply reading his friends mind, that he woke from his little subconscious escapade. Castiel rubbed his head and looked around him. The three other men were talking, and he tried to listen in, though his head still hurt. He felt the main pain in his wing had been lessened, but it was still slowly throbbing, enough to where he could not let it return to its hibernated state.

“Castiel, are you alright?” Cas looked to the voice to see Sam looking worriedly over at him. “Yes, I’m quite fine.” He had deemed it unwise to continue to speak to their minds, so he would need to grow use to using his words again. “Cassie, I was just talking to Sammy here, and he said that the bullet bit your joint. You okay, buddy?” Castiel nodded his head, though in truth, he was still finding it painful to move, though he would get over it quickly. “How long was I asleep?” “About an hour, we got the bullet out though, and we tried to wash the blood off as much we could. It wasn’t very easy to see, giving the nature of your wings and all,” Sam smiled at him, and Castiel let his gaze fall on Dean, who was just staring at him. Castiel returned the gaze, and it fell silent for a few minutes. “Hey guys? Ocular intercourse is weird to see too, so cut it out,” Gabe snapped his fingers and Castiel blinked, looking at his friend, tilting his head in confusion.

From just a small breach into Dean’s mind, his face grew heated at what he saw. He looked away almost moving his wing to hide his reddened face, until he remembered that it was still injured, and moving it around at this point was most likely not the wisest idea. “Anyways.. doesn’t look like we’ll get out here for a while… so, where are you from Dean-o?” “Oh no, we are not giving our life stories out to mutants, no way, Sam.” “Dean, we might as well. We’re being brought in too.” It was silent for a moment before Dean groaned, “Fine.”

Castiel looked up as they began this conversation, a bit curious as to what might have led the two brothers to hunting them down. “We… well, our mother was killed by a mutant named Azazel when we were young, and my dad went batshit crazy about finding the guy. We finally did about a year ago… but he killed my dad while he was trying to kill him. Not even a month after, I put a bullet in his head.” Castiel’s eyes widened as he heard the story. They had such good intentions, and such solid reasons for why they would fear, well hate, mutants. Castiel knew he should hate them in return, though he still couldn’t find it in his heart to not trust the Winchesters. Sam nodded after his brother told their story, and spoke up, “So what about you two?”

Gabe glanced at Cas before beginning his story. “Cas here is my friend, we met a while back when he was.. well, I’ll let him tell you that. Anyways, My community didn’t like mutants, so as soon as I found out I was one, I ran from the place, leaving my younger sister there. Turns out she’s one too, and I haven’t been able to find her since.” The group remained silent after he said this, and Castiel sighed, knowing he should probably share his story as well.

“I was 15 when I turned… my family is not very accepting to anything that is not human, and I was kicked out by my brother Michael…” Dean stopped, holding his hand up. “You said your name was Castiel Novak? You mean your brother is Michael? The guy with the government? Dude, we were gonna be turning you in to him” Castiel’s eyes widened and he closed them again. It had been years since he saw his brother. “He was not… nice in any manor, and I barely escaped with my life. Gabriel found me, and he nursed me back to health. We have been traveling together ever since.” “Though he neglects to tell you-” “Gabriel, there is no need for them to know about that at this point.” Gabe shut up and nodded, looking at the two brothers.

“So… what’re we gonna do to try and get out?” Dean looked to Sam, “You think you can do it?” Sam nodded, closing his eyes and reaching his hands out to either side of him. The truck shook.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Escape isn't always easy, and the closest place is too far away to reach.

Castiel wasn't surprised when the truck came to a halt, and they heard curses coming from the driver, Gordon. Gabriel on the other hand was utterly confused. He looked to Castiel, who nodded before sending a thought his way, 'Sam is a mutant, and it seems his power is telekinesis.' Dean looked at both of them and rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't keep us out of the conversation, we're saving your sorry asses," he said, looking back to his brother, "'Kay man, now you need to unlatch the back door so we can get the hell out of here." Sam nodded, and raised his hand towards the door, and it flew out, and suddenly there was a huge flash. 

Castiel blinked, wondering what had just happened. A shout came from Gordon, "Can't go to any city now! You're wanted by the government! All of you disgusting things!" "Fuck you!" Dean shouted back, motioning them all out. Castiel winced, but he knew he would need to do this. He readied his wings, and he could feel them healing already, but the pain still bothering him. Gabriel did the same, and they flew out, Castiel grabbing hold of Dean's shoulders, and Gabriel picking up Sam on the waist. 

Castiel cried out as they flew higher, the extra weight making it harder for him to fly with his injured wing. Dean didn't seem too thrilled either, and they sped off, away from the truck that had suddenly boosted forward from being stand still so long, the pressure having built up tremendously. 'We must fly far away, Gabriel, towards Balthazar,' he sent it to his friend who only shouted his approval before focusing his extra wing strength in holding Sam up. If Gabriel did anything to him while they were flying, he didn't notice, having too many problems with just keeping Dean from falling. 

They finally found a field, covered in a thin blanket of snow, and they went to land. Castiel all but dropped Dean the last five feet, crashing into the ground from exhaustion. His breathing was more labored than it should have been, and he looked over at his comrades, who were all sprawled on the ground. Dean's face was twisted in agony, and Castiel moved over, placing his hand where he had gripped him. Dean shouted curses as he did, and Castiel willed his healing energy to leave him for just a moment, and to enter the other man. It made the pain a million times worse for him, but at least this way someone would be able to stand. 

As he pulled his hand away, he saw steam rising, and looked to see a red mark in the shape of his handprint blaring up at them. Castiel's eyes widened, as this had never happened before, but he shoved that thought as the cold hit him. It helped the pain to be numbed, but he was not going to die from frostbite when he had tried so hard to get away from a worse death. "Cas, you ok?" He looked towards Gabriel, and was about to nod his head before he shouted in pain again. This was not what he wanted. "Just lie still, get your wings in a comfy position," Gabriel moved over to him, and Castiel saw out of the corner of his eye Dean and Sam talking in hushed tones, Sam pointing to his hip, and Dean to his shoulder. 

He did as he was told, and ended up on his stomach, breathing onto his arms as he hid his head. "Okay guys, sleeping arrangements.. looks like its gonna snow again, Sasquatch, come over here." Sam did as he was told, and Castiel watched, wondering what his friend was doing. "Lie down," he ordered the bigger man, who only looked confused, but did as he was told. Gabriel laid down next to him, using his wings to cover them in a protective hut like shape, and Castiel gasped. They would be extremely warm, what with the feathers keeping the heat in, and the cold out. He looked to Dean, who was in turn staring at him. "I'm not dying in the cold, so move over," the older brother said. 

Castiel nodded, and moved just a bit further away from where his friend and the younger Winchester were now lying. Dean laid down, facing Cas, and he moved his wings carefully to be shielding them from the cold, and the light. It was instantly warm, and Cas sighed, closing his eyes. Though sleep wouldn't come to him, and Dean didn't look as though he was going to be sleeping either. Not when they were practically hugging. 

"You should sleep, Dean," Castiel whispered it, and it came out hoarse, and he swallowed, sighing afterwards. "I'm not the one who took a nose dive there, Cas." He understood the man's logic, and even if he had wanted to stay up, pure exhaustion took him over in a matter of moments as he closed his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean just can't leave his baby, and they all pay for it.

Castiel woke, a warm mass next to him, and he smiled. It was nice and he opened his eyes to see Dean sleeping. The sun peaked through the small opening between his wings, and he shrugged his shoulders, shifting slightly, some snow coming through. He hadn't noticed that it had started to snow the night before, but it no longer mattered, as it had fallen on Dean, effectively waking him up. 

"Shit," the man mumbled, rubbing the snow off of him. Castiel moved his wings outward, moving the snow away from them, and sat up, stretching his wings, only a slight soreness coming from where he had been shot. Gabriel and Sam still seemed to be asleep, and he could barely see the gold of his wings peaking through. "Gabriel, it would be wise for us to wake up now," Castiel said, rubbing his eyes as Dean stood up. "Damn, that was warm.. those things are like insulation," Dean muttered, and Castiel felt a small rush of blood to his cheeks. "Thank you..." he trailed off, standing up and wincing a bit as he stretched his wings further out. "Damn, never really saw how big those were." The heat stayed in his cheeks, and he looked towards his friend. 

His wings had started to unfurl, and Gabriel had been successfully spooning the younger Winchester, which Dean instantly had a problem with. "Sammy, if this guy molested you, I'm gonna kill him," he growled, helping his brother up and glaring at Gabriel who only smiled as he stood up as well. He rolled his shoulders, his six wings stretching out, longer than Castiel's, bigger in general, the sun bounding off the golden color. "It's okay, Dean." Sam sighed, looking back at Gabriel, and Castiel kept from looking into his mind to know exactly what had happened the previous night. 

"What is our plan of action, Gabriel?" "We're going to Balthazar's remember?" "Oh no we're not. I've left my baby back in town," Dean spouted, looking at both of them. Castiel tilted his head, looking into his mind briefly to see the image of a black car. "We can't go back into town Dean-o. We've got the whole country on our asses now." "That was late last night and I parked her at the motel right outside the city. It won't be long, and it won't wear you two out." Castiel perked up. "We are continuing to travel together?" Dean stopped, his mouth open as he tried to think of an answer to that. "Yes, we need someplace safe, and you know somewhere, yes?" Sam smiled at Castiel, and Cas felt the tip of his mouth perk up. 

Gabriel didn't even try to hide his smile, and he clapped Sammy on the back. "Well, then I guess we're going back to town. Cassie, you up for flying again? It'll be about.. what, twenty minutes from here going your speed?" He nodded, and Sam and Dean's jaws drop. "You can fly that fast? We were at least an hour out of town." Castiel nodded, and stretched his arms. "Well, I can fly there in about ten, but Cassie here isn't as fast as me, and we'll be carrying you two, so that extra ton is slowing us down too," Gabe smiled as Dean glared at him. "Then let's get going," Sam said, nodding to them all. 

Gabriel and Castiel picked Sam and Dean up, wise to make it comfortable for all of them, and not in the same places they had carried them the night before. As they flew, Castiel could feel Dean shaking in his arms. 'You are afraid of flying?' Cas sent the thought and continued to read his mind for just the short conversation. 'I don't like it, no. This especially not, when you could just drop me and leave.' 'I would not drop, or leave you.' 'Yeah well, I was just saying.' From there it was silent, even within their heads.

The city came into view, and Castiel and Gabriel landed quietly by the side of the empty road. Gabriel closed his eyes, focusing, and his wings folded back, disappearing into his back. Castiel tried the same, but his wings stayed folded against his body, still sore from the night before. "You leave me must here and pick me up. I will not endanger the mission by having my wings out." "Come on, Cas.. its just right there. No one will see you," Dean looked from him to Sam and Gabriel. Castiel furrowed his brow, inspecting Dean. "Fine, but I will not go into the city." Dean nodded, smirking, before they walked the rest of the way towards the city.

Castiel stayed behind the sign that said 'Welcome to our City!', and the rest of the group walked hurriedly towards the motel that was within sight. He waited patiently, and he heard a gunshot, and he jumped a bit, his wings unfolding somewhat as he heard a car racing towards him. It stopped in front of him, and Gabriel opened the door, motioning him in. Castiel folded his wings back again, and forced himself in. It was a tight squeeze with his wings, and they were off again, their speed rising as they drove further from the city. 

"What happened?" Castiel looked to Gabriel, who was eyeing Sam. "That bastard Gordon had already spread the news about us, so when Dean-o went to go and pay for the room, he had a shotgun, and we raced out of there. Didn't even pay," he smiled mischievously, and Castiel rolled his eyes. 

"So where are we going exactly?" Dean asked, apparently needing directions. "South Dakota to meet up with Balthy. He's probably hooked up with the other mutant he heard about.. what was his name again, Cas? Rick? Bob? Bill?" "Bobby?" Castiel looked to Sam, and the brother exchanged glances. "Yeah, that's it! How'd you know him?" "Um, he kinda raised us when our dad went off on his own." Gabriel nodded, and Castiel closed his eyes. This was going to be a long car ride.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get to their safe place, and the sleeping arrangements are of course for precaution.

It was becoming a problem when Castiel's wings still wouldn't return to their hibernated state, and it was nearly lunch, and they could't stop anywhere. At least Dean and Sam thought so. "Naw, we can head over to Jo's. She runs a mutant friendly bar, and we can stop there until Cassie's wing are all fixed up. She's got rooms too," Gabe smirked, and Castiel winced as he dared a glance at what his friend was thinking. Nothing appropriate that was sure. "How do you know it's not a trick to bring mutants in?" Dean was trying to find any excuse to not stop, as though they would be in trouble anywhere with Castiel and Gabriel. "She is a mutant, Dean. She would not turn away her own kind," Castiel answered, the car going silent. 

"She's... a mutant? How does she even own the place? Haven't they like... outlawed it or something?" Sam seemed very inquisitive, and it only seemed natural, looking at what he himself was. "She owns the place because she built it underground, and only mutants know about it.. other than Ash," Gabe nodded, as though it were common sense. "You'll meet him when we get there... which will be another hour or so." The car ride became silent again. 

"So... What exactly are all of your powers.. you seem to have a bunch. What're you, like hoped up mutants?" Castiel narrowed his eyes at the older Winchester. He wasn't sure if that was just an expression, or if it was intended to be an insult. "Well... as you can see, the wings are one, the healing another, and well.. I also have empathy," Gabe smiled, and Sam blushed, looking out the window, avoiding his gaze. "I have the same, except telepathy... and it is only us who have such extensive powers... I think," Castiel sighed, leaning back on the chair before remembering he had wings. Dean nodded his head, and they kept driving, until Gabriel pointed towards a small sign in the ground off on a dirt road. 

The group got out, and Cas stretched his wings, sighing as they relaxed, almost dragging on the ground. "You sure we're in the right place?" Dean was looking around, clearly not believing that there would be an underground bunker. "Dean-o, don't worry. She won't bite, hard," Gabe chuckled and walked over to the sign, knocking on it. Castiel narrowed his eyes. He had only been here once before, when they had initially taken Jo from the city by her mother's request, so the way it worked was a bit blurry to him. Sam was exploring, and was walking a bit away. "Hey, you guys... this is a pretty steep cliff..." he continued to walk towards it till Gabe had quickly flown over, bringing him back. "Come on Bigfoot, we need to be on the panel to go down." 

They all stood in front of the sign, the car right behind them now, and then they began to descend. It was fast, and a panel replaced where they had once been. They came to a long hallway, and the car was taken back behind another panel, and Dean began to panic. "Where'd my baby go?" "Do not worry, Dean. The car has been placed with the rest, and you will be able to retrieve her when we leave." Castiel placed his hand on Dean's shoulder, trying to smile, it didn't go so well. The hallway then lit up, and Gabriel led the way down until there were doors on both sides. "Okay, Jo and Ash'll want to meet you two, and know we're here. So, go right in," he motioned towards the door on the end, and Dean and Sam shared a glance before doing just that. 

They all entered a room filled with people, playing pool, drinking, talking, and just well, being people. "Are these all...?" Sam scanned the room, and Castiel nodded. "Yes, these are all mutants. Very few humans are allowed." They stayed silent, and Gabe led them over to the counter, where a blonde woman was cleaning a cup, and a man with a mullet was doing something with a computer on the end. "Gabe, didn't think I'd see you for a few more days. They've got your face everywhere, along with Cas's." She smiled, and Gabe smiled back, gesturing towards Sam and Dean. "This is Sammy, he's a mutant too, and then this is Dean-o, a human. Guys, this is Jo." Jo smiled, looking them over. "So I guess you all need a room? Guessing by Cas's wings being all out in the open and such." "Yes," came Castiel's rough voice. 

"Okay, the two rooms right next to the wall of the cliff are open for you four. Work it out, because the others are full." Castiel and Gabe nodded and they began walking out of the room. As they walked down the hallway with rooms, turning at one point down a smaller hallway, it began to get colder. "Okay, room situations... Dean, Sam? It'd be better if you two split with us.. people around here are kinda nosy, and would sneak into a room.. so, Sammy, you bunking with me?" Gabe smirked, and opened one of the doors, Sam walked through, rolling his eyes, but smiling all the same. Castiel stared after them, and looked to Dean. The two just silently stood there, staring, until Dean swallowed and opened the other door, Cas walking in after him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little side advantures for the pair of brothers. Sam likes nature, and Cas's wings are almost healed.

Dean looked around the room, scouring it out before coming to any conclusions. It was nice, except for the one massive bed. He did not want to share.. even if he had slept next to Cas the night before, that was to stay warm. He chuckled a bit about the situation he and Sammy were in. "Never though I'd be running from the government," he mumbled, a smirk playing on his lips as he went over and sat on the bed, sighing as he laid down. He watched from the corner of his eye Castiel walk around the bed and towards the window. He rolled onto his stomach, looking at him. "It will snow again tonight, and there is no internally heating system in the establishment, Dean." "Yeah, your point?" He rose an eyebrow, and Castiel stared back at him, seeming confused, and Dean internally cursed. The guy was probably reading his mind. 

"No, I am not reading your mind.. but you confuse me." Dean rolled his eyes. "How'd you know I was thinking that then, huh?" "It is a common thought that those who have the power to invade one's mind that they do so whenever they want. I make a habit of almost never doing so unless talking to Gabriel." Dean nodded, moving till he was sitting on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his short blonde hair. "So what're we gonna do about it? Your wings were pretty warm last night..." he trailed off, thinking about it and stopped when he realized he had been daydreaming. "If you would like for me to do the same tonight, you need only ask. My wings tend to give off copious amounts of heat as it is," Castiel nodded to Dean, and he thought about it. Cas probably thought it was some logical thing or whatever, from what he knew of the man, mutant, by now. 

"We'll worry about it later, anyways, so who is this Jo person?" Castiel sighed, and sat on the bed next to Dean, staring at the wall across from them. Dean took the chance and was just staring at him, and his stupidly blue eyes and dark brown hair, the slight stubble he had. Either Dean was going crazy, or he was starting to be attracted to the mutant, but he pushed that thought aside as Cas began to explain. "The diner we worked in before, you remember the manager, yes?" Dean nodded, "Ellen Harvelle. Asked us how our meal was when we got lunch the other day." Castiel nodded in return. "Her daughter is Jo, and she allowed us to work in the diner because we helped her out of the city when mutants were expelled." It was silent, and surprisingly, Dean was okay with that. He looked back at Castiel, who raised his head and looked back, the blue eyes startling, as always. 

_________________

Sam was astounded by the room, it was amazing. The window showed a clear view from the cliffside, and he smiled, walking over, hearing Gabriel chuckle behind him. "Sasquatch, you like the view?" "Oh yeah, its amazing." He smiled, looking back at the other man before heat rose to his cheeks. The flirting had been... welcome, Sam didn't really care, but well, now he was sharing a room with Gabe. "I could show you something better," Gabe rolled his shoulders, as though it was no big deal. "Oh yeah, what?" "Well, think of it as a bird's eye view. Come on, open the window," he walked over, and Sam noticed the latch on the side, undoing it, and pushing the window up. 

Cold air hit him, and then he felt as though he was being raised off the ground, which he was. "Gabriel!" he almost shouted, as he was lifted over the small valley. "Don't squirm, Sammy. It'll just make you harder to hold." Sam listened to what he said, and tried to stay still. Gabriel then flew them lower, until they were almost to the ground, and he just glided the rest of the way till Sam's feet touched down. Gabe landed behind him, and Sam looked around. The snow had started to fall, and the sun was beginning to set already, making the sun rays reflect off of the snow that had already fallen. "My god, it's beautiful. Gabe, are you seeing this?" "Yes, it's awesome all right," Sam looked back to Gabe, who in turn looked up at him. "Wait.. were you just.. staring at my ass?" "Yup, and its pretty awesome," Gabe smiled, and Sam couldn't help but smile in return, heat rushing to his face. 

Same looked again, and saw the way the sun was reflecting off of Gabe's wings, and he stopped. "Damn..." he reached forward to touch one, and was surprised by how soft it was. "Sorry.. uh, can I?" "Sure, kiddo," and Sam thought he heard obvious strain in his voice, but he ignored it, running his fingers through the feathers. One accidentally fell out, and Sam was trying to place it back, pressing lightly on the wing, and he heard Gabriel make a noise. "You're turning me on, Sammy," he groaned, and Sam stopped, pulling his hands away. "I'm sorry, uh, wait, what?" "Nothing, we should get back to the room before it starts getting too bad." Sam smiled to Gabe, and saw his face was a bit flushed, though he didn't notice the tightness of the shorter man's pants 

They were off the ground again, and heading towards their room, and Sam dared a glance into the window next to theirs, and saw Castiel and Dean just staring at each other. When they landed in their own, Gabe chuckled. "They're hopeless."

__________________

They had been just looking into each other's eyes for quite a while, and Dean blinked as Castiel suddenly closed his eyes, reaching towards his shoulder. His wing was freaking out, and Dean stood up, wondering what was going on. "Uh, Cas, you okay?" The mutant shook his head, his eyes still closed. "What's happening, Cas? What do I do?" 'My wing.. the muscle spasmed... it'll be fully healed after this.. but it hurts... if you could massage it, it would help much,' Dean was still pretty creeped out that the guy could send his thoughts to him, but it seemed to help in this situation, when it didn't look as though he could speak. He walked over to the wing that he had shot, and saw it trembling. 

He brought his hands to touch the wing, and was kinda shocked by how soft they were, though the trembling made it a bit odd. He pushed slightly on the wing, and heard Cas gasp. "Did that hurt?" Castiel shook his head, and Dean continued, pressing lightly and running his fingers through the feathers, until the trembling stopped. Castiel let out a shuddered breath, and struggled to stand. "Dude, you should lie down and rest.. that looked like it hurt," he tried to push Cas back down on the bed, but his hand was shoved away... "I.. I have to go to the bathroom... thank you." With that, Cas was rushing to the bathroom, his legs shaky, and Dean swore he saw a bulge in his pants. 

He heard the shower start up, and he sighed, lying back on the bed and closing his eyes for just a brief second. When he opened them, he saw Castiel standing by him, looking at the ground. "I must thank you...." It was then that Dean noted that Cas's wings weren't out. "So it worked? Hey, what happened towards the end? You alright?" Castiel nodded, though he seemed a bit embarrassed. "It was quite fine... my wings are very sensitive.." He chanced a look at Dean, and he couldn't help but hold his gaze. 'Fuck, I basically just gave him a handjob,' he thought. He felt a slight tingle in his head, and saw as Castiel nodded his head, a look of shame upon his face. Well, shit.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stretching of extra limbs and a family reunion.

Castiel shifted on the bed, and his eyes popped open when he couldn't move. Hands were around his waist, and he held his breath. He had known it would be cold, and it had been, but he hadn't expected Dean to... no. Castiel let out a small breath, moving Dean's hands from his waist and getting out of the bed. He stumbled over to where he had put the fresh clothes they had gotten the other day. He began to take off his shirt and sweater, the ones made especially for when they had their wings out, and folded them neatly before placing them in a duffle bag Jo have given them. They had lost everything when Dean had shot him and Gabriel, and their car hadn't held much other than ammunition. 

He changed into clean pants as well. As he was about to pull a new shirt on he felt Dean's mind stir. "Damn, Cas. Those are some wicked tattoos." He blushed, and turned to Dean, a simple thought making his wings erupt from the 'tattoos'. "They are my wings, not tattoos." Dean blinked, and then the wings sank back into his skin as he pulled the shirt on. 

Dean nodded, and got up from the bed as well, clearly not knowing that they had been spooning earlier. He dressed quickly, and soon they were walking out of the room, Sam and Gabriel walking out as well, the shorter mutant having a brilliant smile on his face. Castiel raised an eyebrow, looking towards him, then towards Sam, who had begun a conversation with his brother. 'Have you courted him? It would... be careful, Dean is very protective of him.' Gabriel smiled at him, wiggling his eyebrows. Castiel rolled his eyes, and they were heading towards the underground parking lot. 

A blur of purple energy rushed past them and materialized into an image of Jo. "I didn't know you'd be leaving so early... anyways, I packed some food for you in the trunk of the Impala... drive safe, and Gabe, try to be somewhat appropriate." With that, the image faded and the purple cloud rushed back where it had come from. "Whoa, what the hell was that?" Dean asked, and Castiel sighed. "Jo's power is astral projection.. she can send her soul somewhere else and communicate to whoever she wishes." Dean nodded to himself, as though it was logical. 

They drove the car towards the lift, and it rose till they were above ground, close to the same sign they had been before. "Hey Cas... you wanna fly? It's been a bit since we could without the added weight, not that I'm blaming you for anything, Sammy." Castiel looked between the two, not really wanting to look into their minds, but he nodded. "We'll follow then... don't go too fast," Dean nodded, and the two mutants left the car. "Oh... Gabriel... we mustn't rip our shirts... Dean..." Castiel pulled his shirt off, folding it and handing it to the driver. "If you could watch this..." Dean nodded, and Castiel almost smiled towards him as their hands brushed together slightly. "Eh, I'll just have cool looking shirt," Gabe pulled his sweater off, and his wings exploded from his back, and he stretched them for good measure. A feather fell out, and he picked it up. "Hey Sammy, watch this for me," he handed the feather to him, and winked, then soaring up into the air. Castiel glanced at Dean, who was already looking at him, before he too ascended. 

The wind cut cold through him, but the fact that he was moving, and flying seemed to warm him up good enough. His bare skin though was cool to the touch. To be flying again, it felt more exhilarating than anything he had ever felt, other than when Dean had been brushing his wings the other night, and just that simple thought brought heat to his face. It had fixed the problem, but he hand't anticipated the reaction his body would have. He tried to clear his mind, and saw Gabriel ahead of him, of course. He looked down to see the car, and he realized he should probably make himself more visible. 

Castiel descended till he was about twenty feet off of the ground, the Impala Jo had called it, only yards behind him. He looked back, and smiled, waving to the Winchesters. Flapping his wings once, he raised himself, closing his eyes as he followed Gabriel. They would be there in no time with the pace they were keeping, Sam and Dean going way above the speed limit. 'Gabriel... how much longer till we arrive?' he sent the thought towards his friend, and read his mind for the time being. 'About a half hour maybe... hey, you and Dean seem pretty close... anything happen last night?' 'I could say the same about you and Sam, Gabriel. Nothing happened.' 'Well, that's a shame, Sam gave me a blowjob.' Castiel heard it and gasped, losing control of his wings and almost hitting the ground, slowing down enough to where the Impala almost hit him as he tried to ascend again. 

Castiel was breathing hard, and he flew back till he was landing on the hood of the Impala, holding on as he caught his breath. 'Gabriel.. you did not need to be so.. forward... did he touch your wings?' 'Yup, the whole deal. Man is that a turn on, you know?' 'Gabriel... you almost got me killed... please monitor your thoughts.' 'Stop reading them then, Cassie.' Castiel groaned, running his hand through his hair before lifting from the car again and flying faster towards his friend. Though of course he wouldn't be able to catch up with Gabriel, he just wanted to fly as much as he could before he had to stay in the town. 

It didn't take much longer, and Castiel saw the town just ahead of them. Gabriel flew back, next to Castiel, and talked to him over the wing. "I'm gonna go ahead and look for Balthazar." "Okay, I will stay and lead Dean and Sam," he nodded and Gabriel shot ahead like a cannon, his wings beating faster than Castiel could conceive. Castiel moved to be flying just ahead of the Impala, and not very high above the ground. As they came to the town, Castiel slowed, and saw Gabriel standing in front of a house, waiting. Castiel landed next to him, folding his wings back, but keeping them out. Dean and Sam parked in front of the house, and Gabriel knocked on the door. 

The door opened, and Castiel gasped, Gabrie's jaw dropped. "What is it?" Dean asked, walking up and seeing the figure in the doorway. They looked to see a woman about Gabriel's height, with fire red hair staring back at them. "Anna." Gabriel stepped forward and embraced his sister.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of catching up between family.

Castiel blinked, and jumped back a bit as Gabriel sprang forward and hugged the figure in front of them. He stepped back once again and ran into Dean, and he turned, muttering apologies, and that was when he remembered he was still not wearing his shirt. "Dean... would you be able to retrieve my shirt?" "Yeah, Cas.. uh, okay," Dean looked him over, chuckling before turning back to the car. "Castiel! You should come in with your friends before Gabe hugs me to death," Cas turned to Anna and nodded, Sam going in, and Cas holding the door as Dean made his way back. 

Dean handed Castiel back his shirt and sweater, and he pulled them on. They turned to see Gabriel still tightly holding Anna. "Anna, my god, I was so worried about you." "I can see that Gabe, now, can I please breathe?" Gabe finally pulled away, and turned towards his friends before looking back to Anna. "Sorry.. uh, guys, this is my sister, Anna. Anna, this is Sammy and Dean-o, you already know Cas." Anna smiled towards all of them, her light brown eyes lighting up. Gabriel was obviously proud of his sister, and he stopped. "Anna... we need to talk. We'll be right back, okay guys?" Gabe smiled and pushed Anna into a different room. 

Castiel couldn't help but notice the way Dean's look lingered where Anna had disappeared. "So, Anna, huh?" "Dean, it would be imperative that you know she is engaged." "Damn, because that is some fine ass." "Dean," Sam elbowed him and Castiel sighed. "So, where's this Balthazar you said you wanted to meet here?" At the change of subject, Castiel looked around the quaint house, walking over towards the couch. "He is in town, he had sought the help of Robert long ago, and would not stray far when he is unstable," Castiel nodded, thinking back a few years, about the accident he had caused. 

"I'm sensing some bad vibes. Castiel, uh, what happened to make him unstable?" Sam asked, taking a seat in the chair across the room. Dean took the seat next to Cas on the couch, lifting his boots onto the coffee table. "I... don't know how to explain it. It was... he.. I understand why he did it... but my reaction was not one I should have resulted to." "What, you tried to kill him, or something?" "Yes." The room went silent, and Sam shifted in his chair, trying to find something else to talk about other than this obvious block in the conversation. 

Luckily, Gabriel walked back in with Anna at that exact moment, smiling like a fool, or rather like he usually did. "Cas, come outside. You gotta see this." Castiel tilted his head in confusion, and when he probed Gabriel's mind his eyes widened. "What's going on?" the brothers asked, both standing as Castiel did. The group walked outside, Anna laughing at her brother for his reaction. "What the hell is it?" Dean finally got out as they stepped into the backyard. 

"Anna, come on. Show 'em." "You're so insistent Gabe, just wait your ass." She was smiling at her brother though as she took a step forward, and rolled her shoulders, light scarlet wings extending from her back. Dean whistled, and Castiel couldn't help but smile. "You did not have these when I saw you last," Castiel told her. "I was only 14 when we met, I hadn't fully developed. It seems as though wings are a family trait," She jumped off the ground, hovering just a few feet off of the ground. "I think at this time it would be better to celebrate inside, and also work out sleeping arrangements. We are not staying here long." "What, why?" Gabriel looks a bit shocked. "I do not think it is right... Dean is the only human in the town.. and we need to see him and Samuel safely home." 

It grew quiet as Anna landed. "Uh, newsflash Cas, we're wanted like you two." Dean smirked, as though there was something he was looking forward to. "Then let us at least return inside... I... I," he stopped, unable to really voice what he was thinking. "Okay... I'll call Balthazar and Bobby over," Anna smiled, and was up in the air again, flying away as Gabriel led them towards the massive dining room. 

There was an oak table, surrounded by at least a dozen chairs. "Anna said they hold their town council meetings here sometimes," Gabriel tells them, and they all take seats. Castiel take a seat near the end, trying to give him some space away from everyone else. He would have put his wings around him, if not for the fact that there was not enough room. He kept his thoughts to himself, and just stared into space.

Anna soon walked back into the house, looking back and smiling as two men followed her, one in a wheelchair, and another pushing it. The man seated had an old sweat-stained baseball cap on, a beard covering his chin with brown and graying hair. The other man pushing was wearing a dangerously low cut gray shirt, his beach blonde hair short against his tan skin. Castiel flinched away from the other man as he felt his gaze stop on him. "Cassie, never though I'd see you again." He didn't look towards the man, but responded, "It is good to see you as well, Balthazar." 

"Ya idjits better be civil. Now, why are you here Gabriel?" "We're being hunted... and we're stuck with Sasquatch and Male Model over here," Gabe winked at Sam, who began to look a bit flustered. "Don't you be flirting right now, boy. We've got business. What even started this hunt?" "Dean and Samuel were put on.. by my brother to find us, and they did.." Castiel trailed off, continuing to lose himself in his thoughts. "He forgets to tell you Gordon tried to turn Sam and me in too. Did he know you were a mutant, Bobby?" "Nobody did till last year, and he's too fucking ignorant to notice. He doesn't even know about Sioux Falls here. Stupid idjit." 

"Yeah, and we need a safe place to bunk till the sirens go down," Sam added, nodding towards Bobby. "You can stay at my place. I got an extra room, and the attic, which is more than anyone else has. You know how many mutants have been finding this place since we put the word out?" The conversation went to that of commonplace things, as Bobby had Sam wheel him back to his house, Castiel and Dean following, Gabriel staying with his sister instead.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel thinks too much.

Castiels was perched under the window in the attic, looking outside at the full moon and cloudless sky. It had occurred to him earlier in the day that there was no snow and that it wasn't cold in Sioux Falls, and Bobby told them that one of the other mutants in town had atmokinesis, and was creating the precise weather they would need to grow their own food. Castiel had retired early, needing his own time to remember what he had done to Balthazar. It kept a foul sense in his chest, and he tried his best to keep it down. 

He had been up there for hours now, and it was not yet midnight. He hadn't eaten, and now he had his shirt folded in front of him,his wings folded protectively around him. He did not think it was for him to be downstairs conversing with them. Not when he had guilt hanging over his head. Even though it had been long ago, the attempt on his friends life was still fresh in his mind. It wasn't until he heard someone coughing that he realized someone had entered the room. He moved his wings to protect himself, his mind going straight to an attack, and he looked over his shoulder to see a figure fall to the ground, a crash resounding in the large attic. 

"Damn it!" he heard the voice, and Castiel bit his lip, his wings instantly retracting back into him. He turned and helped Dean up, looking to what had fallen. It was a tray that had once held a plate of food, and a bottle of beer. Both the plate and beer bottle were in pieces, the ground becoming sticky and wet with the liquid. "I apologize.... I did not know it was you." "Don't matter. Help me clean this up. Bobby's gonna have a fit when he finds out I broke another plate." Castiel nodded, and Dean headed downstairs for a towel while Castiel gathered the messed up sandwich and other food onto the tray. 

They settled in the now empty kitchen, seated at the table, a plate of food in front of Castiel, and after telling Dean he didn't drink, a glass of water. It stayed silent, and Cas kept his eyes on his plate, not daring to look up at the green orbs he knew were stuck on him. "Cas, you okay?" "No, I am not." "Care to talk about it?" "It is something I must overcome by myself, and you can not help me. No one can." "Sure about that? Talking can uh help... I don't offer this often, I'd take the chance if I were you." Castiel raised his head, looking into Dean's eyes, staying silent. 

"Michael is after me... he wants to destroy all evidence that he ever had a little brother, and that I am a mutant. He would see it as... tainted blood. As for Balthazar... he will never truly forgive me, even if he says he has." He shuddered, thinking of his brother, and he couldn't help but close his eyes, facing the table again. "Hey, you ever think that maybe Balthazar was telling the truth? Don't worry about that bastard of a brother right now. Maybe... maybe you just need to forgive yourself." That thought had never really crossed Castiel's mind, and he looked back towards Dean. 

He didn't know how to respond, and he slightly broke into Dean's mind, and the fact that the other man was being sincere felt truly relaxing. "Michael... he.. he is my brother, Dean. He wants me dead.. what am I to do? I feel as though I should just turn myself in, so he is no longer having to worry about me." "Cas, I swear, if you do anything like that, I'll shoot you in the wing again so you can't," his voice came out threatening, like Castiel supposed he wanted. Though when his mind was checked, he saw no real intent to do such a thing. 

"Dean, if it means-" "No, Cas. If we're gonna do anything, we're gonna kill that son of a bitch." "We can not kill him Dean, he has a major place in the government, and it will just give them more leverage." Dean grunted, and crossed his arms. "You should eat, and uh.. get a shirt on. They're letting it snow tonight." Dean then stood up from the table, and headed into the other room, sitting down on the couch and flipping the television on. Castiel looked down and realized he still hadn't replaced the shirt. He slowly ate his food, and drank his water, and when he finished, he brought his wings out slowly, covering himself in them and making sure he was warm as he went to sit next to Dean. 

"If there's one thing we should do.. is get back at Gordon. The son of a bitch nearly killed us." "Stunning you isn't killing you, Dean. You, nearly killed me, Dean." "Yeah.. about that.. I was influenced. Does that make a good excuse." "I guess for you, Dean," Castiel smiled, looking at the tv, and glancing at the man next to him, who was grinning. It stayed silent, and Castiel covered his mouth as he yawned. 

"You getting tired?" Castiel shook his head before he yawned again. "Sam's using the bed in the room, and the attic only has that flimsy palate. You use the couch. I'll be right back down." Dean stood and was gone. Castiel watched after him and stood himself, stretching his wings as much as he could before replacing himself on the couch, leaning against one end with his wings around him. Minutes later, Dean comes back down, cursing. "Stupid beer spilled far enough and got the palate all sticky.. uh, mind if I can use an end?" Castiel moved to accommodate for Dean, bringing his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. 

Dean leaned on the other side, and they just looked at each other for a couple minutes before Dean shivered. "Are you cold?" "No." "Dean." "Uh, yeah." "Come here then." Dean did as he was told and leaned against Castiel, he then wrapped his arms around him, then his wings, encasing them in a small cocoon of warmth. He placed his hand on the mark he had left the first night, and sighed. "I am sorry if this is uncomfortable." "No, I'm fine... but if you tell anyone about this, they'll never find your body." "Of course, Dean." 

It wasn't long before they were both drifting off, heads leaning against one another's as they fell into slumber. Castiel, before he finally did reach sleep, felt safe for the first time since he had changed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Dean agree to disagree, but Castiel disagrees more.

Castiel smiled as he woke, contently warm, not remembering the exact reason why he was so. When he opened his eyes he remembered. Dean was still lying in front of him, slightly snoring, his sleep looking peaceful. Castiel did not want to wake him, and he just went to retract his wings as easy as he could. A sudden chill came over them, and Castiel then remembered that they had let it snow the night before, giving their fellow mutant time to relax before the nice weather started up again. 

Dean shifted in his sleep, almost turning over completely in Cas's arms, and the mutant blinked, unsure of what to do. Though he didn't need to think long, as Dean's eyes opened, blinking a few times before he saw what he was doing. He stood up quickly, stretching, his face turning a bit red, mirroring Castiel's. "Did you sleep well? Were you heated sufficiently?" Cas couldn't help but ask, he needed to know if Dean had slept good. "Yeah, like a log.. Uh, thanks, for that.. Uh," he was cut off as Sam entered the room, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "How'd you two sleep?" the younger Winchester asked them. "Fine, where is Robert? I would not like to use his kitchen without his permission," Castiel stood and a breeze came through the house, reminding him that he had never replaced his shirt. 

"I'm right here, and go ahead if you're gonna make something for all of us," Bobby said, wheeling himself from his first floor bedroom. "I'll go and get our stuff from the Impala," Dean hurriedly left the room, and Castiel looked after him, and then looked back to Sam, who was smirking. It was then that Castiel heard someone else descending the stairs, and he furrowed his eyebrows. Gabriel then entered the room, a smile on his face as he walked over to Sam and promptly grabbed his ass. "Gabriel! Ya idjit! Keep that somewhere where no one can see ya!" Bobby looked a bit flustered after that, muttering under his breath as he wheeled himself to be in front of his desk. 

"I was unaware you had come here last night, Gabriel," Cas just looked him over, keeping back from shivering as he walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There was enough food to where he had to choose what would be easiest to make the five men for breakfast, and he decided scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon would be the best. He pulled the eggs out, and before he started cracking them, he brought the bacon and placed it on a cutting board, chopping it up finely and placing it in a small bowl. As he was about to start readying the eggs, Dean walked back in, carrying duffle bags. 

"Uh, hey Cas? I'll just leave your stuff in here.. you want a shirt?" he heard from the other room, and Castiel sighed as he walked back over to where Dean was. "Yes, could you just pull one out, I've got the stove on," he said, and was quickly hit in the face with a plain white tee. He slipped it on, and walked back over to the food, preparing the eggs, pouring them into the pan. Castiel sprinkled cheese, and put the bacon into the half cooked eggs, mixing it up well before adding salt, pepper, and small onions he had found. He plated the food up, and turned the stove off. 

"Breakfast," he poked his head in the other room to see the others talking, and they all quickly headed towards where he was. They all sat around the small table, Sam and Gabe on one side, Cas and Dean on the other, with Bobby at the head. "Damn, Cas. You really know how to cook," Dean said through a mouthful of egg. "I did work at a diner for three years, Dean." "Oh yeah! That bacon cheeseburger, that thing was heaven," Dean sighed, as if reliving the moment he had eaten the burger. "Yeah, Cas. Dean was practically having sex with it," Sam smiled as his brother glared at him. Castiel couldn't help the small flush of his cheeks and he finished his eggs, the rest doing as such before the talking really commenced. 

"I was talking to Cas last night, Sammy, and I was thinking, you know Gordon? He nearly turned us all in. I just told him that we should get back," Dean talked as though it was simple logic, getting revenge for something that almost happened. "Dean, it would not be wise.. I will be leaving shortly anyways." The table grew silent, and Castiel stared at his empty plate. "Cas, I thought I told you that you weren't going," Dean almost growled, and Castiel stared back at him. "If I remember correctly, you threatened me, yes. I highly doubt that will hinder my leaving." "Cassie, you can't just leave though," Gabe said, a frown growing on his usually happy face. 

Castiel sighed, rubbing his temples. "I just think it would be better if my brother was no longer worrying about me," he finally said. "Damn it, Cas! He isn't worrying about you! Start thinking about yourself for once. Michael will only kill you, or put you in some kind of prison. Do you really want that?" It grew silent once again, and Castiel stood from the table, refraining from speaking. He gathered his plate, and he took the others as well, placing them in the sink, running the water just a tad. "Cas?" Dean's voice seemed to border on worry and anger, and the mutant thought it better for him to just stay silent at this point. "I'm going out, I will be back before nightfall," was all Castiel said before he was walking out of the house, his wings exploding from his back, the shirt falling from his abdomen as he ascended. Flying was the only possible thing that could get him to calm down at the moment. 

____________________________________________

"Damn it!" Dean cursed, running out after Castiel, watching as the shirt fell towards the ground. He walked over and picked it up, cursing under his breath. Gabriel and Sam were outside with him too. "Hey, Dean-o, I'll go catch up and speak with him, make sure he isn't going crazier," Gabe flashed a small smirk before he too flew off, his shirt falling to the ground. It was a wonder Cas hadn't packed more from Jo's place, they ruined more shirts than they owned. "Dean," Sam said, and the older Winchester turned to stare at him. "What do you want, Sam?" He stalked back inside, climbing the stairs towards the attic, Sam on his heels. 

"Maybe you should listen Castiel... maybe you should let him go and try to talk to Michael, Dean," Sam finally spoke. Dean looked back at his brother, almost thinking it wasn't really him. "Are you crazy? He'll hurt him. Michael is a dick, he'll do whatever he wants, and if what he wants is Cas gone, then he'll kill him if he has too." He then just turned his back on his brother, picking up the sticky palate, and carrying it downstairs and outside. 

The snow on the ground had begun to melt, and Dean got a hose, pulling the mattress off the small foldable steel frame. He pinned it up against the wall, and blasted it, washing it as best he could. When he finished, he looked around, and was surprised to see Sam was gone, most likely inside. He sighed, turning the running water off. Why the hell would Cas even consider going back to his brother? Cas had told them Michael had nearly killed him when they found out he was a mutant, so why the hell would his opinion have changed now all of the sudden? Michael had sent Sam and him to hunt them for Christ's sake!

He growled in his throat, and spat on the grass, picking up the palate and placed it on some free metal bars that looked like they would be used for construction. Walking back inside, he stopped by the fridge, grabbing a beer and popping the top, taking a few gulps before walking into the other room to see Sam watching the television. He remembered back to this morning, seeing Gabriel walk down and grab his brother's ass, and he visibly trembled with anger. "Sammy, what's up with you and the midget?" His brother looked towards him, and Dean raised an eyebrow, not missing the slight blush on his brother's cheeks. 

 

"Uh, we're going out. Not much else to tell." Dean groaned, walking back into the kitchen and sitting down. He drank the rest of his beer quickly, and just hit his head on the table, groaning again as he thought through the conversation he had had with Castiel the night before.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel is trying to get away, Gabriel won't let him.

The air was frigid against Castiel's skin, but he kept flying, trying to get as far away from Sioux Falls as he could. He could feel Gabriel catching up with him, and he flew up further, and into the clouds, so as to try and gain some sort of cover. Though he knew Gabriel would be able to sense him in his own way with his empathy, as Castiel could with his telepathy. Maybe if he just waited in a cluster of clouds and tried to hide himself... maybe then Gabriel would pass him and he could fly in a different direction. Though he didn't have that much time to think, as he saw Gabriel fly in front of him, making him stop. 

"Cas, you'd think you're a bit old to be throwing temper tantrums. Why the hell can't you just stay there? It's nice, and we can finally stop worrying about someone finding out. We can't go back into a city, our pictures are probably everywhere," Gabe stopped, and Castiel sighed. He descended to be below the clouds, and Gabriel followed him as they gently glided over the expanse of snow-covered fields. He no longer wanted to talk, and he went back to his telepathy, finding some sort of comfort. _'It was not meant to happen... I had been planning on returning to Michael before... the very first night Sam and Dean had come into the diner. I do not want to be troubling, Gabriel.'_ He heard the groan from behind him and ignored it. Castiel knew no one would understand why he wanted to do this, and it wasn't like anyone else could reach into his mind and find the reason. 

"Cas, stop... we're landing," Gabe said, grabbing Castiel's hand as they quickly descended till their feet touched the light snow. "You are not trouble, especially back there. Everyone there is a mutant, save Dean, so if anyone is gonna cause trouble, it'll be him. Now... are you sure this has nothing to do with Luci?" At the mention of the name, Castiel went rigid. His other brother... one he hadn't thought about until now, the one he hadn't seen since he disappeared one night, only leaving a note, and a picture. _'No. I have no reason to believe my intentions involve my other brother. He is.... he was disowned, as I was.'_ Gabe raised an eyebrow, but rolled them afterwards. "Well, let's get back. I need Sammy to-" 'Gabriel, please keep your personal life private, I do not wish to know what you and Samuel do.' 

Gabriel chuckled, and the two took flight once again, Castiel still feeling somewhat hesitant to return. His brother's welfare... both of his brothers hated him, but that did not stop him from loving them, and wishing the best for them. Wishing they could get over this feud, be above the country, but he knew that was not likely, not when Michael was so influential, and not when Lucifer hadn't been seen since that night so long ago. With that, they were zooming back towards Bobby's house.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Dean have a little domestic.

Castiel landed quietly in the back of Bobby's house, behind a stack of cars so he could make his way through towards the building on foot, and alone. Though he hadn't gotten that, as Dean had spotted them as they had begun to descend, and was walking out to meet him, Gabriel went on ahead, going towards the house as Castiel waited for Dean to meet him, as he knew the other man would be searching him out within the maze of haggard looking vehicles. 

"Cas, what the hell?" were the first words out of his mouth, and Castiel just stared at the man, not responding. He moved his wings to be surrounding him, covering him in a protective shell as he lowered his eyes from Dean's. "There is nothing to talk about Dean, I just needed to think," he started to walk down the ground in dirt path between the cars, the snow leaving it damp, and muddy in places. Dean didn't move, blocking Castiel's way. "I can just fly over you, but I would prefer to not do so, Dean," he said, his voice rough as he tried to calm himself. He could not understand this emotion he was feeling, but the closest it felt was anger, but why would he ever be angry at Dean? "Just tell me what's going on, Cas. Stop lying through your teeth."

A sharp exhale later, and Cas was pulling Dean inside, his wings gone, leaving his chest to face the sharp wind that had cut through. They clambered up the stairs and into the attic, where Cas had decided he would take refuge while he was staying here. With the door tightly shut, Cas walked over to the window, looking out at the sky. "I have thought about your idea... About tracking down Gordon... We have nothing to do, and I would find it most fulfilling," he nodded, as is to reaffirm what he had just stated. "Bullshit, now tell me the real reason." Castiel almost ground his teeth. How could this... Human be so infuriating? 

"I do not serve you, Dean. If I do have another reason for wanting to leave, it is not my duty to disclose such a thing to you." Castiel thought about what he had said, and almost instantly regretted it, especially since Dean seemed to take it exactly as it had been said. "Well, alright, Castiel. I'll go talk to Sam about it." The way he responded hit Castiel hard, but he kept from showing it on his face, like he was usually doing. It was like all the things that had happened during their short lived friendship had vanished, and Castiel knew that it was most likely going to take something huge to gain such trust back. 

Castiel sighed as Dean left, the door almost slamming shut behind him. This was his fault. He wished he could explain the situation better, but no one seemed to be able to understand. 

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, he headed down the stairs as well, stoping by his duffle and picking out another shirt and pulling it on. The were seated at the table, and Castiel leaned against the wall as they talked. "So since we've decided to go after Gordon... we need a way to track him down, don't we?" Sam seemed to be getting right to the point, and Gabe smirked at him, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, and I might know just a few people who know where he is... though now that its out that I'mma mutant, it might be a bit harder," Bobby glared at Dean, but there was no heat really in that, Castiel could tell. 

"Okay, so how long do you think that will take you?" Dean asked, bringing the main topic back and taking a swig from his beer. "Eh, I'll probably have something by tomorrow morning, but that's with you idjits not bothering me, so you better find something to do while I work this out. Don't be in the house, that's all I'm askin'," Bobby replied, and it was as simple as that. Castiel nodded and left the room, thinking about retreating back into the attic, but knowing coming downstairs would most likely disrupt the older mutant's track, so he headed outside with the rest of them, avoiding Dean at all costs. Now he would just need to find something to do until the next morning, and well, it was going to be hard, he could tell that much.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group spends the day away from Bobby's house to give him some quiet time. They spend it productively.

Sam sighed, smiling as Gabe followed him through the small town of Sioux Falls, and they ended up in a small field just outside the town, sitting on an abandoned bench. It was silent, both of them content in just sitting there with the other. That was, until Gabriel needed to speak up. "Hey Sammy?" "Yeah, Gabe?" "You said one of your powers... was that you could see the future?" "Yeah, what about it?" Gabriel fell silent, and Sam looked over to him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. "How often do you.. you know, look into the future?" Sam blinked, as he hadn't really thought about it before. The last one he had... had been before Gordon had tricked them, and it had been the four of them in the truck. 

"I guess only when something big is going to happen... like when Dean and I shot you and Cas... Sorry about that by the way," Sam bit his lip, looking away from Gabriel. If he had know it would end like this, well, turn out like this, he wouldn't have shot him, but at that point, he didn't have any other choice. "Ah, so, have you seen anything since then?" "No, it actually almost never happens, it's only been a few times ever since I changed." The silence came once again, and Sam shifted in his seat, the bench groaning under his weight. 

Gabe smiled, and moved to be sitting on his lap, one hand in Sam's hair before their lips met. It was soft, like it had been ever since their first kiss back at Jo's. Gabriel smelled like syrup and vanilla, and it was simply wonderful. Gabe then slipped his tongue out to slightly go over Sam's bottom lip, and he couldn't keep from smiling, his own hands going behind Gabe's neck and back, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss. Sam finally pulled away to get some air, and Gabe was smirking. "You also said your other power was telekinesis?" "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you would have figured that out, with how you had me holding you up last night," Sam's face flushed as he thought about it, and Gabriel chuckled. "Well, I was wondering, have you ever tried to move yourself? Like flying, just without wings."

Sam had never thought about that, and he lifted Gabriel off of him, standing up. He had never tried it, and now that he was about to, fear settled in. The few times Gabriel had picked him and they had flown, it had been scary, but now he would be depending on himself, not some person he barely knew, though he couldn't really say that anymore. "Come on," Gabriel was already in the air, his wings stretched out as he hovered a few feet above the ground, his shirt in his hands. 

Sam focused on his feet, and slowly lifted those, his arms flinging out to get some semblance of balance. He then just focused on his whole body, lifting it up with his mind. It was harder than he thought it would be, and when he was a good two feet off the ground, he thought he might pass out. He brought himself back, and practically fell onto the bench, which protested loudly. "Come on Sammy, I'll help you, how about it?" Gabriel then flew behind the bench, and picked him up under his arms, raising them both into the sky. Sam tried to focus, he did, and then, out of no where, Gabriel dropped him. 

He was falling towards the ground, trying to catch himself. Just a few feet over a house, he caught himself, his arms in front of him, and his eyes tightly shut. "Good job Sammy! Now try and follow me, I'll go slow, just for you." He could hear Gabriel's voice, and sighed, opening his eyes to be looking down onto a roof. He now tried to move himself, and now that he was off the ground, it seemed a hell of a lot easier. 

Like a sling shot he sped forward, in front of Gabriel, who shouted behind him. This was going to be a lot of fun. 

_______________________________________

Castiel had stayed in the small library the whole of the afternoon, and after catching dinner with Anna, Gabriel, and Sam, he had decided he needed to be alone, and that he would not be sleeping. Since he knew the whole of their small group would be staying away from Bobby's house, he flew over there, landing on the roof softly and pulling his wings close to him, staring up at the clear sky. He was so tired, but sleep was no longer an option. As soon as they would be leaving to catch Gordon, he would be tracking his brother down. 

He had been lost in his own thoughts for what felt like forever, and then suddenly he heard a clang on the gutter. Cas looked over to see the top of a ladder, and he shied away from it, pulling his wings in closer to keep the heat in. In just a couple minutes, Dean was staring at him, Castiel staring back, his blue eyes boring into Dean's green. "Care if I join you?" Castiel sighed inwardly. "You may come up, Dean." The other man did just that, and walked onto the roof, over to sit next to Cas, leaning back to also view the stars and moon above. 

It remained silent for an abnormally long time and Castiel knew this was going to be about the conversation they had earlier. "Dean, I am sorry for how I acted earlier, I did not mean to come across so... mean. I just... no one understands." "Well, maybe if you told someone, then they would." Castiel looked over to him, and Dean glanced back, looking back to the sky. Sighing, audibly this time, he prepared his story. "Michael is not my only brother.. I have another older brother, he is between us.. Michael is eight years older than me, and my other brother, Lucifer, is four years older than me." "Lucifer, you mean... like the devil?" Castiel nodded, "My parents... liked the concept of naming their children after angels, and happened to find them the most fitting for their first two sons." Dean nodded, and it grew silent again. 

"Lucifer is also a mutant, he has wings.. like me, though I no longer know if he is alive, I assume he is... he left suddenly when I was only ten, and I didn't understand what had happened to him, but.. it hurt Michael more than I knew. I think... I think the only reason he hates mutants is because it separated our family.. if Lucifer and I had not been born like we were, we would be close, like we were before he changed.. and before I changed." Dean blinked, and Castiel sighed. It was then that clouds suddenly covered the whole of Sioux Falls, and it began to rain, not snow. Castiel automatically moved his wings to be covering them both. 

Dean shuffled closer, so as to not have Castiel strain his wings, and they sat in silence again. "So... why do you think going back to Michael will change anything?" "I think that he was upset that I left him alone with our parents, who were not very easy on him during the whole of their lives. I think... he didn't want to be alone, so if I go back to him, he will change his mind on the mutants... and maybe make it easier on all of us." Dean nodded, and they stopped speaking. 

The water was weighing down Castiel's wings, but they remained warm and dry under them. He shivered once, and Dean moved instinctively to be right next to him, their body heat combining. "Dean," Castiel whispered, gulping. His stomach seemed to be clenched, and he felt rather.. nervous for no particular reason. "Cas," he replied, gulping as well. The next minute was silent again as they bored into one another's souls, Dean's eyes glancing at Castiel's mouth every few seconds. Dean closed his eyes as he leaned forward, their lips meeting. Their lips moved slowly together, as though if they broke apart, what they had here, would shatter. 

Dean moved his hand to Castiel's hair and neck, and Castiel kept his hands where they were, at least he tried before they moved themselves to Dean's neck. Dean trailed his tongue on Castiel's lower lip, biting it gently as they pulled closer together. A lightening strike later they were separated, Castiel gasping for air, unsure of what had just happened. "Dean.. I... I am sorry if I have offended you in any way," he managed to choke out, blinking rapidly as he thought over what had just taken place. "Dude, I was the one to kiss you, I should be saying that." Castiel gulped again, looking into Dean's eyes, his gaze shifting towards his mouth again before returning. "So... you would welcome another experience similar to what just transpired?" "Hell yes."

That was the last thing said before they were kissing again, mouths working more feverishly than last time. Castiel cupped his hands behind Dean's head, trying to deepen the kiss further. Their tongues swirled around each other's and soon they were both gasping for breath, foreheads leaning together. "Dean.... I..." "Just don't... just don't say anything... alright? We.. we should get inside." Castiel nodded his head, and a few more kisses later, he was gliding down the roof with Dean in his hands as he landed in front of the door. 

Dean opened it slowly, and they both crept in. Castiel was unable to retract his wings, but he kept them as close to his body as possible as they tiptoed up the stairs towards the extra bedroom. Gabriel and Sam were sleeping at Anna's, so no one would be in there. They closed the door after them, and Dean hurriedly pressed Castiel's back up against it, only stopping when he winced. "My... wings... I must dry them off, Dean." Dean nodded, kissing him roughly, but not pushing him back further, before he quickly left the bedroom and returned with two towels. 

Castiel dried one, while Dean dried the other, and Cas could feel as Dean slowly pushed into his wing, massaging it. "Dean.. my wings.. ah!" Dean had been behind him, and was now drying the base, and had hit where the oil gland would usually be. "Cas, you okay?" "Y-Yes... I'm fine..." he shuddered, and Dean pressed into the spot again, making Castiel moan quite loudly. He quickly retracted his wings, and Dean took the time to finally push him against the wall, their chests pressed together. "Cas," he breathed, and he leaned forward again, catching Castiel's mouth with his own. 

They moved quickly towards the bed, and Castiel was able to push Dean down, pressing him into the mattress, and soon rolled his hips once into Dean's. "Pants..." he heard him breath,and Castiel nodded. The two were quickly undressed, and it only escalated from there until the two were lying, facing the ceiling as they caught their breath. "Dean..." Castiel couldn't form the words he was trying to express, and Dean only wrapped his arm around him, as if he understood. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep, Dean pulling Castiel close to him as they drifted off.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trek to California begins, along with the constant snickering.

Castiel was quite content with how he was lying down right now. The night before he had had Dean's weight on him, making it a little uncomfortable, but still nice. But now, he was on a warm bed, a firm body holding him close. He sighed, smiling to himself as he shifted slightly. The curtains weren't closed all the way, and a ray of sun was shining directly on his face, making it hard to stay asleep. Dean shifted behind him, and he stopped, not wanting to wake him. Though that action was put to rest as someone began pounding on the door. 

"Cassie! Time to get up! Bobby told me all about how you kept him up last night, so get Dean-o ready too!" Gabriel's voice came through the door, and Dean groaned, removing his hand from Castiel's waist and beginning to get up. Cas followed suit, and they dressed quietly, using the towels that were still quite damp to clean themselves somewhat. Castiel walked out of the door first, trying furiously to not think about what had happened last night. Though it was one of the prominent thoughts in the forefront of his mind.

They walked into the kitchen to see Gabriel making breakfast now, pancakes with chocolate chips, an assortment of other spices and things he most likely put into the batter to add his own special twist. Sam was sitting at the table, a laptop open in front of him, and a small look into his mind showed Castiel he was reading up on their own cases. They were still wanted, and it seemed as though there were now more people onto their trail, which had fortunately gone cold.

   “Breakfast is ready!” Gabriel served them all plates, and Castiel looked at his, wondering if it was safe to eat. He knew Gabriel had as much cooking skill as himself, but well, his friend could be quite creative, and it wasn’t always good to be on the receiving side of his meals. He glanced at Dean, and that settled it. The older Winchester was forking the food down, as though it was the first meal he’d eaten in months, which meant it was safe to eat. Castiel began to eat his own and raised his eyebrows as the first bite passed his lips. “Gabriel, this is excellent,” he said around his mouthful of food. They all continued to eat until the pancakes were gone, the group full and sated with the wonderful breakfast Gabriel had cooked up for them.

   “Okay, now, I got one of my old pals out there who says he saw Gordon yesterday, heading towards California, hunting a big shot mutant. Be careful, okay? Don’t need to visit more funerals than necessary,” Bobby gave his gruff look, though if Castiel knew better there could have been a smile beneath the beard and rough outer shell of the older  
mutant.

   After the talk, the group readied to leave, Sam and Dean packing the Impala, Castiel gathering all the other necessities, and Gabriel saying his goodbyes to his sister and Balthazar. They met outside of Bobby’s house, the car ready, Dean sitting in the front seat looking through the channels on the radio to find something to listen to past the time. Bobby, Balthazar, and Anna all waved their good byes as they pulled out of the town, Sam sitting in the back seat with Gabriel, and Castiel riding shotgun. There had been no sufficient music, so they started their ride in silence, not counting the small whispers and muffled laughing coming from the couple in the back seat.  
   
 “Can you two shut the hell up? What’re you even talking about anyways?” Dean looked in his rear-view mirror, glaring at them as he tried to keep his eyes on the road at the same time. “You really want to know?” Gabriel was smirking, like he had something planned, and Castiel’s eyes widened. “Gabriel, please do not bring that up at this time.” “Dean’s the one that wants to know, Cas. I’m not gonna keep him in the dark about his own relationship.” “What relationship?!” Castiel brought his knees up on the seat, covering his head. “Really Dean-o? Cassie here’s claimed you. That mark on your shoulder? You’re as good as stuck with him, because everyone else is gonna ask questions, and what’re you gonna answer?” Dean was about to reply, and he just growled in his throat, keeping his eyes on the road. Sam and Gabriel erupted in laughter in the back seat, and Castiel buried his head further in his hands.

    _‘I am sorry if I had hindered your future chances at finding a suitor, Dean. I did not mean to do that when I healed you,’_ he sent the thought reluctantly towards the driver, who swerved just a bit when it hit him. Dean glanced over at him, sighing, and just shaking his head slightly before thinking, _‘Don’t matter. You think last night was just spur of the moment? You’ve got the bluest eyes I’ve seen, and well, if that isn’t a turn-on, then what is?’_ Castiel’s face grew a bit pink, and he shifted his gaze towards the window, looking as the land passed quickly under the wheels. It was silent for them till then.

   “Wait, Dean, where are we supposed to stay? The whole country’s after us, we’ll have to camp out or something,” Sam pointed out, moving to be leaning forward on Dean’s chair. “What do you think we’re doing? I’ve got all the gear in the back. We’ll stop a few miles outside the closest town when the sun sets. We’ll get some Castle Burger, and I’ll start a fire. We’ll be warm enough. Stop worryin’ Sammy, I’ll take care of you if your boyfriend can't." Dean chuckled as Gabriel shouted, "Hey!" Conversation flowed smoothly after that, though Castiel kept from entering the conversations, feeling more like he should think.

They parked in a forest, on one of the now closed campsites, and everyone got out. "Sammy, Gabe, you set up the tents. Cas and I will go ground up some grub," Dean helped get the rest of the things from the trunk, and then Cas and him were on their way into the small town. 

There was a Castle Burger right on the edge of where they entered, so it wasn't hard. They were looking at the menu, Dean trying to figure out what Sam and Gabe would want. "Gabriel will want the double cheeseburger, and a milkshake, Dean," Castiel whispered, looking at the menu as well. "Okay, that just leaves you, so whaddya' what?" Castiel froze, staring that menu that was next to the speaker. Luckily a few cars were in front of them, and he could take his time and choose. 

"Dean... I do not know. I don't eat often..." he trailed off, brows knitting in contemplation. There was a wide variety of things he could get, and he didn't know if he would be able to choose. "You've been eating regularly with us, so what's wrong now?" "I did that for formal reasons Dean. It is polite to eat with those you are staying, is it not?" Dean rolled his eyes. "I'll get you a cheeseburger and some fries, how 'bout that?" "I guess that will be sufficient." With that, Dean drove forward in the drive thru, ordering their meal, and passing Cas the bags as they paid in cash.

On the drive back Castiel looked into one of the bags, picking out the cheeseburger that was designated for him, and unwrapping it carefully. He took a small bite, glancing over at Dean. "Dean... I... I now realize why you liked my cooking... this is horrible compared to what Gabriel and I would make... I guess I am accustomed to better cheeseburgers." Dean chuckled, glacing over as Castiel practically wolfed the burger down. "Don't seem as though you have that much of a problem with it, Cas." The mutant swallowed, and looked down at the sandwich, to find only a few bites left. He sighed, wrapping it back up and placing it in the bag. "I guess I am just...hungry then." Dean laughed, and Castiel looked as he did, a genuine feel rolling off of the other man. It was then that Castiel decided that he liked when Dean laughed. 

They got back to campsite to see Sam and Gabriel sitting in front of the fire... making out. Castiel quickly sent a sharp snap towards both of their minds, and Sam pushed away almost instantly, his face turning red. "You know, a 'hello' would be fine, Cas." Castiel just stared back with his patented blank expression. "Eh, we brought you food, you deserved whatever he gave to you." With that they passed the food around, and Dean and Castiel sat on the other log next to the fire, eating quietly, the fire crackling in the night. 

"So California? That's a while away.. might be spring by the time we reach there," Gabriel pointed out, and Castiel thought about it. It was a while away. "Nope, we'll be there in another day or so. We're hitting the hay early so we can drive all day tomorrow. Now.. Cas, you know how to drive, right?" Castiel swallowed his last bite of his burger, cheeks reddening. "You have gotta be kidding me," Dean muttered, running a hand through his hair as he looked towards the ground. "Gabriel always drove the vehicle, and I saw no use when I could fly..." he closed his eyes. So many things were different and well, he regretted never being able to be fully human. "I guess Sam, Gabe and I will all switch off then. Sammy, how you feel about starting off tomorrow?" "That's fine, but we better get to bed now."

The group dispersed, Gabriel and Sam to their own tent, and Castiel and Dean to theirs. It was a bit spacious, but not enough to where they could both stretch out comfortably. Castiel looked at the sleeping bags and sighed, before Dean leaned down, unzipping both of them. "What are you doing?" "We'll sleep better this way, trust me." Dean then zipped them back together, forming a massive sleeping bag. Castiel nodded, getting what was happening. They both got in, bare feet rubbing against one another's before Castiel turned to face Dean. 

They looked at each other for a solid minute before Dean moved, his hands pulling Castiel's head towards his, their lips meeting briefly before he pulled away. Castiel reached out towards his as he did, and opened his eyes, wondering why they had stopped. "Cas... they're ten feet away from us." Sighing, Castiel nodded, and Dean was pulling him back in for a kiss anyways. It grew slightly rough, Dean then moving atop Castiel, his knee pressing into his groin as they moved their mouths together. "Dean," Cas managed as he tried to catch his breath. Dean nodded, and gave one last kiss, Castiel biting his bottom lip slightly as they settled down, facing each other. 

"Good night, Dean," he whispered, his eyes drooping closed. "'Night Cas," Dean replied, pulling the mutant closer to himself, and he kissed his shoulder then the top of his head. They then fell into deep sleep, which Castiel was very thankful for.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unpleasant flashbacks.

Castiel did not like being woken up so early, especially when he had been extremely comfortable, but it couldn't be helped when they had a long drive ahead of them. The group was quick to take the tents down, all of them tired from sleeping on the ground. As they finished packing up, Castiel saw Dean yawn, and he couldn't stop himself from mimicking him. "Sammy's driving... Cas, you gotta keep him awake," the older Winchester told him, getting into the back of the Impala, Gabriel following suit on the other side. 

Glancing at the younger Winchester, he nodded to himself. Sam seemed to be a bit better off than all of them, so it probably wouldn't be hard to keep him awake. Castiel would be spending the time keeping himself as such. With a glance in the rear view mirror, the two were already out. "We'll stop for breakfast when it's time to switch off," Sam told him, turning the keys in the ignition and starting the car. Cas nodded, stifling another yawn before he buckled his seat belt. 

The first half hour or so was quiet, and Cas was thankful, using the time to try and rest his mind. He needed to prepare himself for when he went to meet Michael.... he knew Dean would not like it, but he needed to see his brother. He truly thought that maybe just seeing him could change something. They were brothers after all. Castiel blinked when he heard Sam say something, and he turned towards the driver. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

Sam chuckled, looking back towards the almost empty road. "I just asked how you were, Castiel," Sam replied, glancing at Cas before returning his gaze upon the asphalt. Castiel nodded. It was a simple enough question, so why was he having to think so hard? "I guess I am fine, if lacking sufficient sleep. Why do you ask?" Sam shrugged, silence returning. Another ten minutes pass by, and Sam speaks again, "Gabe told me what you were like when he found you... Did... did Michael really do all of that to you?" Castiel bit his lip, thinking back to the day his family had figured out he was a mutant. 

_Castiel snuck through the front door, tiptoeing towards his room, only to hear his brother's door open. Michael had returned from college, much earlier than expected. "Castiel? Is that you?" Cas stopped where he was, breathing in before walking into the hallway to see his brother. Nothing about him was different other than his eyes, and his parents had passed that off as colored contacts. "Michael, I see you returned home safely." He stayed still, hoping his brother didn't ask any more questions. "Castiel... your eyes, why are they so blue?" This was a problem, Castiel hadn't lied to his parents, they had fully assumed, and he did not like the feeling of lying to Michael, not when Lucifer had been in the paper just the week before._

_"I do not understand. They have always been this color," he knew he was a horrible liar, and soon enough, Michael was walking up to him, grabbing his face and pushing his chin up to see into his eyes. "No, they were brown when I left for college, what happened? Castiel... are you," his brother's expression grew dark, and Castiel began to tremble. "I do not know what you are talking about, Michael... Please, I must go do homework," he tried that, though he knew that excuse was nothing really. "Are you... are you a mutant, Castiel? Answer me!" Castiel couldn't control his trembling, and Michael left him go, Cas falling to the ground, breathing becoming irregular. "Have you told them?" Michael's voice was growing rough, and Castiel knew he was angry. "No."_

_The first blow landed, Castiel landing on his back as Michael kicked him and stepped on his chest. "What other.... mutations do you have? Show me Castiel." He shook his head, and Michael pushed his foot down harder, causing Castiel to start coughing and gasping for air. Another kick, and Castiel could feel his side aching. "Michael... why?" "You're just like him I bet. Is that what you were planning to do? Leave me, like he did, and join him? Like the freaks you are? Castiel?" "No, Michael!"_

_The older Novak picked him up by the collar and was pushing him against a wall, seething with rage. Castiel lost count of the blows, and was soon lying on the ground, coughing up blood. His clothes were beginning to rip, and Michael stared down at him, eyes cold with loathing. "Get out of here, now." Castiel tried to stand, and faltered as he headed towards the door, trying to get away as fast as possible._

 

Castiel shook his head as he returned to the here and now. "No, the serious injuries I sustained had not been from him.... Gabriel did not find me until I was seventeen." Sam blinked, and glanced at Cas, who in turn looked down. The two years he had been on his own had been hard, and more beating by other people who had found out what he was. He had been perpetually bruised, and one of his ribs had not wanted to heal, even with his powers. He had been a doctor's worse nightmare, and remembering that, Castiel shuddered. "Cas, man... I'm so sorry." "It is not your fault, Sam. I just could not hurt people, when they did not understand." Sam didn't reply as they continued to drive, Dean and Gabriel soundly asleep in the back seat. 

"Uh... so, yo and Dean... you're.. um," Sam seemed to be having a hard time getting his words out, and Castiel did him a favor and looked into his mind, instantly regretting it as he saw the vivid imagination the younger Winchester seemed to posses. His face grew pink, and he shifted his gaze to be looking outside of the window. "I.. yes. He and I have.. fornicated." Castiel... uh, can... can you not say that? Are you two like.. a couple now too?" The topic had not yet been reached between Dean and himself, but he supposed it wouldn't be too sore of a subject if he brought it up with him. "I am unsure of where Dean thinks we stand in our current relationship." And that was that, the subject was dropped as they neared another town. 

It was no longer really breakfast time when they stopped, and they got some more Castle Burger after stopping for gas and to relieve themselves. The car was alive as they continued down the massive road. There were more cars around this time of day, and now that Dean was driving, music was blaring as they traveled. It was still rather cold outside, even if they were currently in the transition from winter to spring. 

Conversation flowed nicely, with stories about adventures taken, and dangerous tasks done. Gabriel seemed to have more than anyone, as he had been wandering alone the longest, and it was fun to listen to the stories, and how he saw everything. The day dragged on, the group getting weary with having been driving so long. Castiel began to nod off, slowly falling asleep to the lull of the engine as they rolled down the road. 

When he was woken up, it was dark outside, and everything was already set up at their small campsite. Dean was shaking him lightly on the shoulder. "Dude, I know it's comfy, but I don't need morning breath stinking up the car," he whispered, and Castiel nodded, yawning before he stepped out and towards the campfire. It was warm, and Sam and Gabriel were already in their tent, the lantern turned off. "Dean.... Sam asked if we were a couple, and I was unsure of what to reply," the statement came out more matter of fact than he wanted it to, and he was unsure of how Dean would react. 

"Well, I don't know. I.. I'm not good with relationships, and well... I can never keep hold of them. I don't wanna lose you, Cas." Castiel nodded, the feeling was mutual. The fire was left as it died down, and they retreated into their own tent, their combined body heat making it easy to fall asleep once again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Unpleasant flashbacks

Castiel shifted in his sleep, and found his way to be blocked by a Dean Winchester, who was soundly sleeping. Cas stifled a yawn, sitting up in their small shelter. The tent was damp with water, and it was cold, causing Castiel to start shivering as he yawned yet again. Pulling his duffle towards him, he chose out a sweater quickly and pulled it over his shirt. It was supposed to be spring soon, so he didn't understand why it was still so cold. Getting up slowly as to not disturb Dean, he exited the tent after putting his shoes on. Surprisingly, Gabriel and Sam were already sitting around the fire, a box of donuts in Gabe's lap. 

Castiel walked up behind them, and coughed a bit, "Do you mind if I join you?" Gabe turned around, a donut in his mouth, another one in his hand. "Sure, thing Castiel," Sam said, as he couldn't really make out what Gabriel was trying to say around the mouthful of food. Castiel sat down on one of the logs, hugging himself as he looked into the fire. It was warm, and made him temporarily forgot this thing he was currently trying to understand that involved him and the older Winchester. His thoughts were disturbed when Dean wandered out of their tent, rubbing his eyes, stifling his own yawn. 

"We gotta get going by eight, you guys. That gives us fifteen minutes to pack up," he finished, taking the box of donuts from Gabe and taking one, stuffing it into his own mouth before he sat down next to Cas and handed him the box. "Eat up, we got another long day ahead. We're putting Salt Lake City in our rearview mirror." Castiel nodded, taking the one that looked the least fattening, and began taking small bites. Dean smiled, and Cas felt his mouth turn up at the ends too. 

The packing began immediately, the tents and other things being put into the trunk as Castiel made sure they left the place nice and clean. The campsite was spotless when Castiel finally got into the car, taking the back seat with Gabriel, as the brothers took the front. "Where are we going again?" Gabriel asked, seemingly already bored with nothing to do. "Tahoe. That's where Gordon is supposed to be, remember?" "If I had remembered, would I have asked you?" Gabriel smirked, nudging Castiel in the ribs. "Dean, what exactly are our plans once we find Gordon? We can not just go and expect to apprehend him without a plan," he pointed out, and it was silent except the rumble of the engine. 

"Dean, don't tell me you didn't plan this through," Sam pleaded, groaning as he pushed his hair behind his ear. "Well, we have until we get there to come up with a plan! Just shoot, and we'll come up with something." Castiel sighed, and leaned his head against the window, glancing out at the snow filled landscape. Usually, he was all for making plans, because he did not like going into things without knowing what they were doing, and what was possibly going to happen. This time though, he was making his own plans. Gordon would take him to Michael, and well, it would stem from there. 

As he thought, he was oblivious to what the other three were saying, until Sam was staring in the rearview mirror. "Hey.. do you think they're trying to chase us?" Castiel looked behind them to see another car, one that reminded him of the Mustang he and Gabriel had left back home, speeding up rapidly. "Dean, stop the car," he orders, and Dean grinds his teeth before replying, "We can't just stop, they'll run right into us, Cas." "Then pull over at the side of the road, Dean! I don't care, just stop the car!" Dean jerked the steering wheel, sending the Impala skidding over towards the dirt that lay on the side of the road. He finally stopped, and Castiel had already thrown off his sweater and shirt as he jumped out of the car, wings bursting from his back as he launched himself at the other vehicle which was screeching to a halt not to far away. 

Gabriel was not far behind, and Sam was soon out of the car as well, ready to do whatever needed. Castiel landed on the hood of the car, looking at the driver with complete and utter loathing. A woman smiled back, her short black hair bouncing as she exited her car. "Castiel, it is a surprise seeing you, and I see you've found some humans to play with, very nice." He continued to glare at her, hands clenched as he tried to keep himself from lashing out, the cold slowly starting to seep into him. "Meg, why are you following us?" he was barely able to make it out without shivering, and Meg only smiled, another woman exiting the car soon after. She had long dark hair, and dark eyes, and was giving Sam a wicked smile. 

"Oh, Castiel, it's fun! We've been following you for a while now, and I'm surprised you didn't notice.. we only approached you now because you're getting too close to home-base," she told them, sitting on the hood f the car, staring straight up at Castiel. "Cas? Who the fuck are these bitches?" Dean shouted from the Impala, apparently knowing in this particular fight he would stand no chance. "This is Meg, and Ruby... they... they follow my brother.." he trailed off, trying to keep his emotions contained. The two women smiled back, and Castiel couldn't help but remember his first encounter with them. 

_Castiel had just turned 17, and he was leaning against a wall in a small alley in a town he couldn't remember the name of. He had almost been caught by another human just a few hours before, and he was tired. His chest burned, and his wings stung. The extra limbs of his covered him from the snow, and he tried to stay warm. Cas had been about to fall asleep when he heard chuckling. His eyes shot open to see two women, one with a flaming knife, the other with a set of handguns. Castiel could tell they were mutants, but he found little comfort in that. "Well look what the cat dragged in, Meg. What're we gonna do with him?" "I say we just play around, and leave him for the next person... or we could take him back to Lucifer." At hearing his brother's name, Castiel froze, trembling as he was forced to think of his older brother._

_"That's a good idea, why don't you start with those pitch black wings? Let's see if we ca change them red." They both laughed, and at the first but from the blazing knife Castiel cried out. He woke up what seemed an eternity later to see someone hovering over him, and he flinched, trying to get away, expecting another onslaught of torture. "Hey hey hey, don't worry dude, I've got you. Though you're in pretty bad shape... My name is Gabriel, and I'll make it better, I promise." Just knowing he wasn't going to get hurt again sent him back into unconsciousness._

Castiel came back into the now when he felt someone push him from the top of the car. He blinked as he flew above them, wondering what had happened. "Aww, the little guy knows our names! How sweet!" The two women continued to laugh, and Castiel couldn't help but grind his teeth at them. "Leave, or I will be forced to smite you," it seemed the right word to use, even though he held no such power within him. It wouldn't be hard to grab a gun, or knife from the back of the Impala. The two women were still smiling, and it was at this that Castiel used his telepathy. 'He's gotta be bluffing,' thought Meg, and Ruby seemed to be thinking the same. Cas sent a sharp zap towards both of their minds, and they both squeaked, Ruby almost jumping. 

"Heed my warning. I can make it last longer than need be. Now, leave," he commanded. Ruby and Meg glanced at each other, and Meg nodded. Ruby withdrew into the car. "We'll just have to tell Luci how his little brother is, now won't we?" she laughed, and Castiel was diving towards the car before it vanished within a cloud of smoke. He coughed as he removed himself from the smoke, flying towards the Impala, Sam and Dean staring at him in wonder, while Gabriel just looked upset. 

"Cas, are those to two... are they the ones that nearly killed you before?" Castiel nodded slowly, and Gabriel began cursing. Dean didn't look like he was taking that too well either. "Let us just get to our destination.. I am tired, and I do not need them to know I was lying about smiting them." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he got into his seat, his wings withdrew into his back. Castiel leaned against the door as the car rumbled again, and they progressed towards Lake Tahoe.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel's first night in Tahoe is a disaster.

They had made it to Tahoe not much later that same night, and had found a cabin that wasn't currently in use. A quick pick of the lock, and they were in, making sure they were comfy, and all had places to sleep before they all practically fell over. 

Castiel was the first to wake, and he turned over in the small bed, only to fall out. Dean wasn't disturbed by it, so he rubbed his head and stood up, biting his lip as he felt a small vibration under his feet. Was this just a minor earthquake? He knew it couldn't be, and he pulled jeans and shoes on, heading towards the door. Sam and Gabriel were knocked out in what they had deemed the living room, Sam in a reclining chair as Gabriel took the couch. Both were exhausted the night before, so it was only right that they would still be asleep. 

Opening and closing the door quietly, Castiel left the house, wandering the empty streets in the dark. He had no clue what time it was, but as they had gotten in around seven, and had gone to sleep around midnight, it was most likely the early morning, as they wouldn't sleep a whole day through. He sighed, a cloud of mist appearing before his mouth. It was colder than Salt Lake City at the moment, at least from what he could tell, so he put his hands in his pockets and kept walking till he could see the lake. 

The sun was beginning to rise as he made it there, and he smiled. It was a beautiful sight, though not many really appreciated it. Castiel blinked, something looking as though it was flying over the lake, but was too large to be any type of bird. He then realized that it was not the sunrise. The figure flew towards the beach, not too far away from Castiel, and seemed to be stopping in front of another person. The mutant looked back towards the lake it see a massive fire in the center, but what on earth could possibly set a lake on fire? 

He didn't get enough time to think about it as the fire was spreading over the surface of the water, and he fled, trying to run in a way that he could possibly glance at the mystery figures. It was only after he had seen them that he wished he hadn't. Lucifer had been standing in front of a smaller man, his skin seemed to be burned in places, and his silver wings had been spanned out behind him, as if continuously showing that he was indeed better than everyone else. 

The fire would have to be dealt with by the humans, as Castiel did not want to be spotted by his older brother, not when Lucifer didn't even really know about his situation.. that was unless Meg and Ruby had made it back. 

He silently cursed and ran into an empty diner that happened to be open. Looking around, he saw a pay phone, and rummaged through his pockets, hoping to find some sort of currency that he could use. Luckily, he had been with Dean when they had gotten dinner, and he had told him to hold some money, "Just in case," he had said. Castiel was thankful that he had accepted it, even if at first he didn't want to hold onto it. He walked up to the counter and looked around. The only people were back in the kitchen, talking, so he rang the small silver bell on the edge, and someone came out.

"Can I help you?" asked a woman as she looked through the kitchen door. Castiel nodded, "I just need some change... for the pay phone." She nodded and smiled, and Castiel tried to smile back, but he knew at this time it would be nest to impossible. The woman handed him change for the bill he had passed her, and he nodded again, as she went back into the kitchen. This was his chance. He looked towards the small tv that was in the ceiling corner of the diner, and walked over. His brother would be on one them, he knew it. 

Castiel flipped through the channels quickly before he finally stopped on one. It was a news channel for the country, and the picture of Sam, Dean, Gabriel, and him was on it, their heads all taken, and focused so there was more of a description. A number appeared at the bottom of the screen, the news anchor saying, "If you have any information about these mutants, please call this number." Castiel committed it to memory and turned the tv off, walking back over to the pay phone. 

Inserting the coins, he dialed the number quickly, the phone ringing as he waited. A receptionist answered, "Hello, you have reached the office of Michael Novak, may I ask who is calling?" Castiel almost hung up, but he knew this would be urgent. "It is his brother, and I must speak with him immediately," he responded, looking around him and making sure no one was listening in. "Just a moment," the woman replied, ambiance music coming on as he was put on hold. It didn't last long, and then he was met with a man, "Castiel."

His older brother, he hand't seen him in eight years, and here Castiel was, talking to him on the phone. "Michael... I have called you concerning... Lucifer." He thought it best to just tell him the situation, other than giving away his location, which they probably had from called id now. "What have you heard of him?" His attitude seemed to completely change, and Castiel knew he was safe for now, as long as his older brother was only concerned with the other one. "I only just saw him not ten minutes ago. He set the lake on fire, Michael. I... I know I can not handle him myself, and he is a danger to the surrounding people." His older brother was silent. 

"Michael, I am asking for you help. Please," he knew he sounded desperate, and he was, but he thought his brother would be more willing to help than this. "We will be sending soliders, and specialists to your location. Where exactly are you?" Castiel sighed in relief, though he knew he would probably come to regret it later. "I am at South Lake Tahoe, and I am not yet sure if Lucifer plans on staying here longer to create more chaos. Michael-" the phone went dead. Castiel hung the phone up on the booth and sighed, looking around the diner. It was still empty, and the fire on the surface of the lake was still raging. This was not good.

Castiel ran from the diner, almost resorting to using his wings to get back to their small cabin, but he kept them to himself as he made his way through the town. When he finally did make it back, and walked through the door, everyone was still asleep. Relief washed over him. He would only now have to slide back into bed with Dean, and no one would notice. Tiptoeing past the first two men, he walked down the hallway and into the bedroom, Dean now sprawled out over the entire bed. Castiel took his shoes and jeans off, nudging him with his elbow, forcing him to move over, until he was able to slip into bed. Nothing was wrong, he just needed to keep that facade up, and he would be fine. They would find out about the fire the next morning, when it was all over the news, or when they saw it for themselves if it was still alive. 

Now, Castiel was just asleep, he had been the whole morning. He hadn't seen Lucifer, and he hadn't called Michael. He had just been asleep next to Dean Winchester.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gordon isn't the only problem now.

Later on in the morning, after Castiel had finally been able to return to a fitful slumber, Dean was shaking him awake. "Cas, you gotta get up, there was an explosion." The mutant darted up, hitting his head on the headboard of the bed. He bit his tongue as he rubbed the area and looked to Dean who had left the room already. He hurried threw on the clothes he had abandoned the night before and followed him out. Gabriel and Sam were huddled around a small television, that of which had a news reporter standing in a building near the lake itself. 

"It seems to be that there was an explosion that occurred early in the morning, burning several buildings down on this side of the lake. The source of the explosion is still unknown, but is speculated to have ties to the recent mutant expulsion in South Lake Tahoe. The fires have been extinguished, and so far there have been twelve confirmed dead, and seven missing. The rest of the men and women are currently in the hospital due to extensive burns, and excess smoke inhalation."

Castiel turned the tv off, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, do you think this is what Gordon was after? The mutants causing these... these explosions?" Sam turned around in his chair, looking to Dean, whose arms were crossed over his chest as he continued to stare at the blank television screen. "Probably. Which means if we find these mutants, we'll find Gordon. Cas, you think you can find them with your whole mind reading thing?" Castiel's eyes were still wide, trying to erase the meory of the morning before as he looked to Dean and slowly nodded his head. He knew were his brother would be, it was th other mutant he had no clue about. "Awesome, then we'll set out later tonight, because Gordon doesn't like hunting during the day, so that's when he'll be out," Dean nodded, and things went from there. 

The rest of the day was spent indoors, as smoke had pretty much covered the whoel area, and the police and fire department had deemed it unsafe to be venturing outdoors for very long. Castiel spent most of this time in the lone bedroom, staring out of the window at the lake, as the rest of the group readied weapons and traps for when they planned to capture Gordon. Throughout the entire time, Castiel had thoughts of telling the others about his little escapade earlier in the morning, but each time he remembered that their hands were already full, and they didn't need to worry more. 

Gabriel came in a little after lunch, apparently feeling the nervousness and fear that seemed to be surrounding him. "You okay buddy?" It was at this point that Castiel cursed silently, wishing that for once he could hide something from someone. "I'm quite fine... just nervous.. for tonight. Gordon did almost bring us to my brother after all," he glanced at Gabriel, and his gaze then returned to the window. His friend patted him on the back, and Castiel knew that Gabriel was just leaving him alone, even though he also knew that couldn't possibly be what was troubling the young mutant. 

It finally came time to leave, and they all piled into the Impala, Dean and Castiel in the front, with Same and Gabe in in the rear. They drove slowly through the neighborhoods, Castiel searching minds for anything that seemed remotely suspicious. At one point he felt his brother's mind, but he neglected to say that, figuring it would just be better to find Gordon himself, than through the people Gordon was hunting. Around one in the morning, and by a motel on the very edge of town, Castiel could tell Gordon was sleeping, resting before he went to find the mutants. "Dean," he tapped the man's shoulder, and they parked outside the room Castiel could tell Gordon was in. 

Sam undid the lock from the inside, and they carefully made their way in. Gordon wasn't in his bed, and as Castiel went to check the bathroom, he heard a gunshot. Turning around quickly, he saw gordon standing behind the door, and he trembled, feeling for whoever had gotten hit. It seemed as though no one had though, and Dean was quick to wrestle the gun from him. 

In only a few minutes, though Castiel could have sworn it was longer, they had Gordon tied to a chair, and a piece of duct tape over his mouth. He was struggling against his bonds, and Castiel knew he wouldn't talk. "I'll take it from here," he nodded towards the others, who stepped back. He brought another chair forward to sit in front of him at a safe distance. He looked into Gordon's dark brown eyes, unblinking, before piercing his mind. 

_'Gordon, we need to know who you are hunting,'_ he sent the thought towards the man, who seemed a bit perturbed by how he was violated. _"\'Why the hell would you care? Michael sent me here when they stated the expulsion, to make sure they all left. Seems they didn't. Now what the hell are you gonna do to me?'_ Castiel sighed. They hadn't really devised how they would take care of Gordon. They couldn't exactly just leave him here, not when he could easily escape and tell everyone about their location. "Dean, it is imperative that Gabriel fly Gordon somewhere else tonight," he stood from his chair and looked at the other men. "Sure, and where exactly would that be?" "I know someone who lives in Oregon, shouldn't take but three hours," Gabe shrugged his shoulders, looking from Sam to Gordon. 

"Fine, but hurry. There are other mutants out, and we don't need your sparkly wings catching any attention," Dean nodded, looking more at the ground than anywhere else. Sam looked towards his brother, and then to Gabriel, who winked at him. "We'll be back at the cabin," Castiel told his friend. Gabriel then picked up the chair Gordon was in, and walked out of the building, wings flapping and sending them towards the sky. 

They stayed there a few minutes, until Dean groaned. "We can't leave his car here. Find his keys," he ordered, and they all began searching the room. It wasn't that long of a search though, and then Sam was driving Gordon's car back to the cabin, Dean and Castiel a little ways behind him. At least, Castiel had thought so until Dean turned a different corner. 

They were looking over the lake when Dean parked the car, and Castiel gulped, closing his eyes. "Hey, Cas... you've been a bit weird lately... Anything wrong?" He knew in his heart he should not lie to Dean, Sam and Gabriel, but what would they think of him when he told them what he had done? "Yes. I saw the... explosion take place. It was no explosion." "Then what the hell was it?" "My brother, Lucifer." It went dead silent, and Castiel shifted in his seat, unable to find comfort int he leather interior now. "Are you fucking serious, Cas? Why didn't you tell us?" "Dean.. I... my brother... he isn't alone. There was another person with him, and Dean, it just isn't safe." "Screw safety, Cas. We gotta gank him." Castiel shifted his gaze to be looking directly into Dean's eyes, confused, and somewhat hurt. 

"He is my brother, Dean. What would you say if I told you that we needed to kill Sam?" Dean seemed to choke on his words and Castiel closed his eyes. "He is not our concern as it is.. I.. I called Michael, and he is sending in people to apprehend him. Our best bet is to leave town as soon as possible. As soon as Gabriel is back," he looked out of his window, not wanting to face Dean at this point. Castiel had to tell Dean about that, he couldn't just keep it in, but now he felt bad, as he had put all of them in danger. Dean started the car, and they drove back to the cabin, neither of them uttering a word as they parked and exited the car, walking in to Sam who had questions on where they had been.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel is paranoid, and has every right to be.

Gabriel came back later than expected, and Dean had decided Sam and Gabriel could share the bed, leaving them the couch and the reclining chair. Castiel had no clue of what time it was, but he knew it was early morning, since they hadn’t even returned to the house until around three. The sun was beginning to rise, and he could hear the tiny snore Dean always refused that he had. He hadn’t slept a wink, and he had deduced that there were several reasons as to why.

Soon the others began to wake, and Castiel just stayed sitting in the chair, watching as Dean sat up from the couch, stretching his arms and scratching his stomach. “’Mornin’ Cas,” he grumbled, getting up and stifling a yawn as he walked over to the small kitchen where they had put the few food items they had. Sam and Gabriel were soon out of the bedroom as well, Sam’s hair in disarray, a smirk upon the smaller mutant’s face. “Cas, you can tell ‘em now,” Dean said as he looked through some of the stuff that had been there since they had arrived; an old coffee maker, and a bag of stale coffee beans were pulled out of a cupboard.

“Tell us what?” Sam raised an eyebrow and sat on the couch, stifling his own yawn as Gabe sat next to him. “Cassie, don’t tell me you’re pregnant! I thought I told you to use protection!” Cas glared at Gabriel, he did not need the jokes right now, but he knew it was how his friend tried to soften the mood. “I... I saw the explosion take place, except it wasn’t an explosion. It was Lucifer, and he isn’t alone. I called my brother, Michael... and he is sending people out. They will most likely be here today.” It was silent, and Castiel avoided looking towards his friends, finding his hands fumbling with his jeans good enough to look at for the moment.

"Then we need to leave, now!" Sam was getting up from the couch before Gabe grabbed his hand. "Sammy, they'll probably have the whole place enclosed so they'll have a better chance at finding him, right Cas?" Castiel nodded, still not looking towards the others. He felt ridiculous, if he had told them before calling Michael, they most likely could have dealt with Lucifer, especially with how Sam's powers were coming along, but it was too late. "We'll just have to lay low and not make a scene. We can get all the supplies we need from a store, use the self-check out, and then head for the hills once they have Lucifer under wraps," Dean was leaning on the kitchen counter now, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked over them.

"I'm afraid that... that he'll have people looking around town for me. He didn't seem to be very happy when I called him," Cas bit his lip, looking towards Dean, who's eyes spoke comfort, but face showed anger. "Then we'll have to be extra careful, and you'll have to stay inside, got it?" Castiel nodded, his heart sinking as he did. That meant no flying until this whole thing was over, which of course would suck majorly. "Well, we can find out what's happening on tv, right? Turn it on," Sam motioned towards the remote, the tv turning on instantly.

Once the news was turned on, everything went quiet. The reporter was just outside the city limits, large vans and trucks filled with people wearing protective gear. "It seems as though Governor Michael Novak has found the mutants on the most wanted list to be taking refuge within South Lake Tahoe. The guards and policemen are specially equipped to handle them, and they hope to capture them by nightfall," she paused as someone walked up to her, whispering in her ear, "And they will be entering the South Lake Tahoe in just a couple minutes. The town will be under heavy security, and everyone is advised to stay inside as much as possible." The tv was turned off, and Castiel squirmed in his chair.

Just the thought of staying inside hurt him, and he couldn't help but notice Gabriel's discomfort as well. "We'll have to be really careful. Dean, you should go out, since you're human and all, even if you're wanted like us. Put some sunglasses on or something though before you go," Sam told him, looking behind him towards his older brother. "Yeah, whatever. What do you guys want to eat? We don't know how long we'll be trapped in here," he turned around as he said this, continuing to make his coffee.

"Some chips for sure, and beer! Also some desserts of some sort," Gabriel was quick to list off the things he wanted, and Sam finally made him shut up. "Just get some stuff for sandwiches, and some canned goods, those will last long. Though for lunch you can get some Castle Burger," he shot Gabe a look, and the mutant only shrugged his shoulders, winking at Sam afterwards, causing the younger mutant to blush slightly. "Awesome, I'll get dressed, and I'll be out. Call me if anything happens, okay Sam?" "Only if you do the same," he nodded towards his brother. "Shit, Sammy, you're such a girl." "Jerk." "Bitch."

It went from there, and Dean was then out of the house, the three mutants left to do whatever they could to wait out the lock down. "Well, I'm gonna go steal the bed again, you coming Sam?" Sam blushed yet again and nodded, quickly following Gabriel into the bedroom. Castiel groaned, hiding his head behind his knees. He would need earplugs, he was sure, the walls weren't that thick. Castiel lost himself in his own thoughts easily enough though, and that was able to drown out the loud thumping coming from the bedroom.

It had been an hour since Dean left, and Castiel was getting worried. Did it really take that long to buy groceries? No wait, he had to take into account the drive from the cabin, and traffic maybe as people went back home. There was a completely logical reason for why Dean hadn't yet returned, Castiel just didn't know it. He could wait longer, though he hoped that the human would walk through the door in a couple minutes. It wasn't safe for any of them out there right now.

Two hours after Dean had left, and Castiel was pacing in the kitchen, looking through the window, moving the curtains to block his view only to move them again to see if Dean was coming. It would have been so easy for him to just join Dean on this little shopping trip, so why hadn't he? There was clearly something wrong. Though maybe there were long lines at the store, and maybe it took him a while to find a parking spot. Maybe the drive thru was crowded as people got something easy to eat for the duration of the lock down. There were many things that could have delayed Dean, many things, he shouldn't be worrying. But Castiel couldn't stop himself from doing that.

It was now one o'clock in the afternoon, approximately five hours after Dean had left. Sam and Gabriel were asleep, as they had somehow prolonged their sex, not that Cas wanted to know. Dean was still missing, and Cas's wings were itching to be let out, so he could fly, and find his human, who he knew was surely in some sort of danger. He couldn't handle it anymore, he quickly stripped off his shirt and folded it, placing it on the kitchen table before walking towards the front door. He then exited the house and flew into the air.

Castiel soared through the skies, as fast as he could, and as high, as he didn't want people to notice him too much. As he looked over the city, he noticed that several houses and building were on fire, the fire department working hard to put them all out. He couldn't spot Dean's car anywhere, and that only worried him more. He resorted to using his telepathy, and found panic stricken in most of the townspeople. Castiel took a closer look, and almost fell out of the sky once he felt Dean's mind.

He was in pain, in more pain than Castiel could even fathom, but a stretch of it reached him through the small link he had made with the man's mind. And then he was falling. He tore his mind from Dean's after trying to track its source, and he ascended again, looking towards the warehouses on the other side of town. He flew as fast as he could, and landed on top of the building, not caring that he had left an indentation of his feet.

Castiel dropped down to the side next to the door, and almost ripped it off it's hinges as he felt for Dean's mind again. He looked inside to see a rather empty warehouse, a chair in the middle, and a table next to it. A man was standing over Dean, though Castiel could barely recognize him through all the blood. "Oh, it seems that your boyfriend is here... Let's see what he can do," came the man's nasally voice, chuckling as he threw the instrument in his hand towards Castiel.

It was easy enough to doge, and Castiel used his wings to aid him towards the table faster than hopefully the man could comprehend. He grabbed one of the implements, hurled it towards the man, who dodged it just as easily. "It seems as though he's a little over protective, isn't he Dean?" There was no response from the human, and Cas hurriedly checked his mind to make sure he was still alive. That was his mistake. Another blade was thrown into his direction, and it struck his shoulder. Castiel screamed in pain, and took another blade from the table, throwing it towards the mutant. It struck home, blood gushing from the man's stomach.

"Oh, I guess you don't know me, but thanks, I was needing more blades," the man laughed, and he put his hand over where he had been hit, pulling it forward, the blood following his hand and suddenly hardening into a dark red sword. Castiel was stunned, he had never seen a power like this, but it only meant he needed to not just incapacitate the man, but that he needed to kill him. Another knife was thrown towards him, the sword in his hand staying with him. "Oh, I know, I'll use you're boyfriend's blood to kill you, how about that, hmmm?" The man continued to laugh, dropping the sword in his hand, which instantly turned back into blood once it hit the ground.

"Oh, I'm Alastair by the way, just so you can know who killed you," he laughed more as he placed his hand on Dean's chest, pulling the blood with him and forming another sword. This one was shorter though, and looked more rounded than normal. Though how that mattered, Castiel didn't care. Alastair came rushing towards him, and Castiel was able to take him by the wrist and force the sword into his stomach. The mutant started to cough, though it still looked as though he was laughing as blood came out of his mouth and his eyes glazed over. Castiel let him drop to the ground, the blade still there.

He looked down at Alastair, his eyes droopy, and his shoulder screaming in pain. Gripping the sword blade, he pulled it out, and wiped it on the man's clothes, looking at it. It seemed to be like any other sword, though why it hadn't returned to blood once Alastair died was a question to Castiel. He hooked the sword onto his belt loop and walked over to Dean.

The human in question was unconscious and barely alive. Castiel kept back tears as he placed his hand where his mark was, willing his healing energy into the older Winchester. The blood was returning to his body, and the bigger wounds began to close, though Castiel didn't stop there. He didn't stop till he was almost falling over, and everything that had happened to Dean was healed.

He slumped to the ground when he was finished, breathing heavily and deadly tired. His own wound was worse now, but it was still no where near as bad as anything he had healed from Dean. The human in question began to stir, and was suddenly awake and aware of everything around him. He looked towards Cas on the ground, "Cas? CAS! Are you alright? Cas?" he was by him in moments, and Castiel nodded, though he wasn't sure if it was enough to where Dean would notice. "Hang on, I'll get you home, and we'll patch you up, you're gonna be okay. I promise Cas." He felt Dean lift him up, and the last thing he remembered was being put into the passenger seat of the Impala.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel hopes everything is okay, though he's sure it is, with the way Dean is acting.

Castiel didn’t know how long he had been asleep, but here and there shots of pain would course through his body, making him clench his teeth, only to sink into dreamless sleep once again. There was light playing behind his eyes, and then he heard voices. “Is he gonna be alright? Sammy? Gabe? Why isn’t he waking up?” That was Dean’s voice, the older brother seemed worried, and Castiel wondered why. He should be able to ease Dean, but he didn’t have enough strength to open his eyes. Then hands were on his shoulders, and he hear someone whisper something into his ear. “Hey, it’d be okay to wake up now. Dean’s throwing a fit here.” That was Gabriel, and Castiel felt something itch on his shoulder.

It was then that he realized that Gabe was using his own healing abilities, and healing him. The pain in his shoulder eased, and his eyelids felt lighter than before. The hands were taken from his body and he twitched his foot a couple times before he opened his eyes. Three blurry figures stood above him, and he blinked a couple times before they started to sharpen. His shoulder was still sore as he tried to sit up, his breath coming out shakily. “Gabriel… how long was I…?” “A couple days. Dean brought you back, and you had lost a lot of blood, but that didn’t stop him, did it Dean?” Gabriel was chuckling, elbowing Dean who was standing next to him.

“Shut up… Cas? You okay?” Dean was staring at him, and Castiel returned the gaze, not speaking, but nodding instead. His throat was beginning to dry, and he started to cough. “Sam, get him some water. Hurry up, dude!” Dean almost punched him in the stomach as he urged his brother to fetch liquid, staying by Castiel’s side. “Why the hell did you do that?” The mutant blinked, looking at Dean with confusion, his head tilting just a smidgen. He noticed Gabe retreating quietly in the background, leaving them alone in the room. He delved into Dean’s mind to find worry, and… oh. “I healed you.. because I couldn’t let you die,” he answered, putting his hand on Dean’s arm as he tried to stand up.

Castiel was a little disorientated, but he was able to walk to the front part of the house and retrieve the water Sam was getting for him. He downed it fast, sighing in relief as his throat was soothed almost instantly. Getting another glass he turned to see Dean still behind him. “What, Dean? Did you want to die? Is that it?” Dean opened his mouth to respond, but closed it, unable to find words. Castiel eased him of that, slowly pushing into his mind to see what he was thinking. What he found was not expected. Dean just didn’t wish he had died, he saw it as a solution. Castiel didn’t think he thought so low of himself, and he set his glass down on the counter before placing his hands on Dean’s shoulders.

“You are not useless, Dean. You hold us back in no way whatsoever. Your brother has depended on you, and if it weren’t for you, I would no longer be here. You mean something, Dean. Don’t let anyone ever tell you any differently,” he nodded his head and leaned forward, placing his lips on Dean’s. They moved softly together, Dean’s hand coming to run through Castiel’s hair until he pulled away. “Dean, I need to eat, or I’m going to faint.” He smiled, and Dean nodded, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

They were all sitting at the table in the kitchen now as Castiel ate, breakfast having been about an hour or so before he woke. They began filling him on what had happened while he had been sleeping. It turned out that Michael’s men were only searching the area around the burned buildings now, checking for Lucifer more than anything, though they still gave the reason that they were hunting their little group. “So… would it be safe to fly tonight? I need to stretch my wings, or I might go crazy,” Castiel said as he finished his plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. The other three looked at each other silently before Gabe broke in, “We’ll go flying tonight, to stretch our wings, but we stay together. It’s supposed to snow later today, and the cloud cover might stay a bit longer. That’ll held us hide.”

So things were settled, and the day went on like regular. Which meant that Sam and Gabriel were fighting over whether to watch the food channel or to watch animal planet, Dean was outside making sure his ‘baby’ was all tuned up, and Cas was left in the bedroom, looking out the window as he stretched his more human limbs. He had the window open a crack, so he could feel the cold breeze seeping into his bones, to make sure he really was awake, and not just dreaming everything. He was startled when he heard someone cough from the door. Turning around, it was Dean.

Castiel immediately stood up, wiping his hands on his pants, trying to get the dirt off of both. “Dean, I didn’t… hello,” he swallowed as he looked at Dean. His shirt was covered in sweat and grease, which made Castiel think about how long he had been stretching exactly. His hair was matted down, and his hands were freshly clean after washing them with oil removing soap. It felt like years before Dean actually stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Cas… I, uh… I’m glad to see you’re back on your feet… and I was just coming to uh, check up on you,” he seemed tense, and Castiel kept his mind to himself, not wanting to invade his privacy. “I’m quite fine… Would you be able to tell me what happened? Before I got to you… and Alastair,” he knew he shouldn’t be asking, but the way he had found Dean, half-dead, he thought he deserved to be filled in. Castiel went to sit on the bed, looking at his hands as he folded them silently. Dean walked over to the window, closing it after muttering,”It’s too damn cold in here, and we don’t have a heater.” He leaned on the sill, his arms crossed over his chest as he closed his eyes and sighed.

“I don’t remember a lot, really. I was getting stuff from the grocery store, and on my way back, I had to take a detour. I was gonna call Sammy, and I parked the car. Next thing I know, I’m strapped to a table, and this guy, Alastair, is prodding and poking at me with knives. He.. he cut through my skin, and hell, it hurt more than anything. He asked me where you guys were, and said that if he kept it up long enough, that you’d come, and he’d kill you too,” he just kept his gaze averted from Castiel’s, and bit his lip. This seemed to be hard on him, and the mutant didn’t blame him.

“When I woke up, you were falling, and I rushed you into the car, and drove home as fast as I could. You bled all over, and when I got here… Gabe was real shaken, and we got you on the bed, and you were out. He patched you up, and did the best we could. Gabe said his healing wasn’t as powerful as yours, and that he didn’t want to try, but, Sammy kinda forced it, and that’s when you woke. God, the days you were out, Sam was being a total girl, saying we needed to get all this and that, like he knew anything about being a doctor,” Dean ended with a small chuckle which died soon after it was born. He just inhaled through his nose, exhaling after, calming himself in the way that Castiel recognized.

“I am sorry that I caused so much trouble. I didn’t mean to do that.. I needed to save you Dean, and there was no other way,” he looked to Dean, holding his gaze after the human chanced a look. It was quiet then, and Castiel stood up, walking over and taking his face in his hands before kissing him again.

His lips were chapped, yet soft, moving rhythmically as Castiel leaned more into him, against the window. Dean then turned them over, pushing Castiel into the wall, his hands on either side of the mutant, their mouths connected still. A few moments later, Castiel was catching his breath, Dean doing the same, still leaning protectively over him. “Dean, I..” he was silenced as Dean brought his mouth back, his hands no longer holding him against the wall, instead fumbling with his pants. “Cas, you talk too much,” he chuckled a bit more, continuing to kiss him as they removed their clothes hastily and moved towards the bed.

As they caught their breath sometime later, Dean started to laugh. Castiel turned over, looking at him. “What’s so funny?” he ran his hand through Dean’s short hair, tracing small circular patterns over his chest as their breathing returned to normal. “I’m so screwed up, Cas. Why are we doing this?” Castiel was a bit confused, why did it matter? “I believe the reason for the sex would be-” “No, Cas. As in why the hell did I even start this? If we had left you and Gabe alone in that diner, and had just left.. this never would have happened.” Castiel didn’t know how to reply, and Dean turned to be on his side as well, looking at him. “Because if you hadn’t some other person would have, and I would be in love with some other human rather than you.” Dean’s cheeks lit up, not prepared for what Castiel had just confessed to him. “I, uh.. Cas..” he seemed to be at a loss for words, so Castiel just kissed him silent.

“I must take a shower, Gabe and I are flying tonight, and I would rather not smell like sex,” another kiss, and the mutant was standing, leaving Dean on the bed, just staring at him. As Castiel took the small sheet from the bed, wrapping it around himself, Dean sat up. “Cas, did you really mean that? The uh, loving someone else part?” “No, Dean. I am sure that you are the only one, that you have always been the only one, to which I could love.” With that, Castiel was walking out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, leaving Dean staring blankly at the door. Castiel hoped he was doing something right, and that he hadn’t just ruined his relationship with Dean. Whatever they were, it was serious, and he wanted to keep it that way.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Gabriel encounted someone unexpected on their little flight.

Castiel showered quickly, making sure to use extra soap to clean himself off. There was no need for Gabriel to be making fun of him while they flew over town. Exiting the shower, he used the towel to rub his hair dry. Looking in the mirror, he looked dead tired, even though he had been asleep for days, which only meant that later tonight he would sleep well, at least he hoped so. Walking across the hall again, he was in the bedroom, Dean no longer there as he dressed. He left his shirt off though, as he wouldn't really be able to use it when flying. 

Walking out to the front room, he saw the three other men around the tv, paying attention. "What's going on?" he asked, sitting in front of Dean who was in the reclining chair. "Well, they haven't caught them yet... And it seems as though they've started evacuating citizens," Sam answered, the news anchor continuing to assess the situation. Furrowing his brow, Castiel stood up. "Gabriel, we should leave, while they are busy with the humans. It would make the most sense," Castiel then walked over to the window, looking through the curtains. "It is overcast also, so flying above the clouds would be the optimum choice." "Okay, okay, Cas. I get it, you want to get out, cabin fever and all that." 

Castiel glared at Gabriel. He needed to stretch his wings, and fly when he wasn't in a hurry to save Dean's life. Gabriel got up, stretching his arms and taking his shirt off, before joining Cas by the window. "Hey Sammy, your boyfriend's getting a little pudgy, you sure you want him without a shirt?" Dean was chuckling as he said this, Sam hitting him upside the head seconds later. "Well, Dean-o you sure yours won't get hypothermia? He's skin and bones after all," Gabe smiled at him, and Cas took it upon himself to smack Gabe on his head this time. "Let's go already, before they start coming to the higher cabins." Gabriel rolled his eyes, and opened the door, walking out, Castiel right behind him. 

The two took off right from the door, their wings unfolding from their backs as they ascended into the crisp afternoon air. The sky was a dull gray, the clouds rolling in the stiff wind as they continued their small trip above the sight of the humans. Breathing into through his nose, Castiel closed his eyes, his arms to the side of him as he enjoyed the breeze in his feathers and hair. Gabriel was ahead of him, doing much the same before they decided to glide lower, just above the line of vision to watch the city. 

'Gabriel, they have almost fully evacuated... just a few households left in the same vicinity in which we're housed. What're we to do when they find us?' There was no beating around the bush, Castiel knew it was only hours before they came upon the cabin they had trespassed. Gabriel's mind was silent, and Castiel knew they were in trouble. 'Gabriel... I sense... I sense Lucifer,' as soon as Castiel sent that thought to Gabriel, fireballs came from behind them. Castiel was barely able to avoid them, Gabriel wasn't so lucky, one hitting his lower right wing, burning almost all the way through the feathers. 

He was diving, trying to catch up as Gabriel spiraled downwards, Lucifer in hot pursuit, more fireballs following. He caught his friend, and flew behind a pocket of trees, the sun setting, making it dark and hard to maneuver. Castiel landed carefully, leaning Gabriel against a tree, looking around, hoping Lucifer hadn't seen them touch down. Though of course, his hopes were in vain as the other mutant landed feet away from his, his tattered gray and bloody wings resting on the ground as he crossed his arms. "Hello Castiel. I had a feeling you were lurking around here." Castiel kept his eyes on Gabriel, making sure he was comfortable as he slipped into unconsciousness. 

Stepping away from his friend, Cas looked towards Lucifer, looking over him. He had grown since the lat time he'd seen him. "Big brother... you've changed," Castiel tried to make it so his voice didn't tremble, but that was all but impossible at this point. Lucifer chuckled, rolling his eyes before returning them to him. The last time Castiel remembered seeing his brother, he had been all smiles, bright blond hair and tan skin, but now his hair was a matted dirty blond, his skin burning off in places. "You've... You're pyrokinetic? Brother... I'm... I'm sorry," Castiel was backing away, holding his wings close to him, removing Gabriel from his view. 

"Castiel.. oh little brother, it's not your fault Michael shunned us and our kind. You must feel terrible, I know I did. Sorry about your friend there, I didn't know who he was... and you know how I am about strangers, Castiel," Lucifer smiled, folding his hands in front of him as he smiled. Cas swallowed, shaking his head slightly. Lucifer raised an eyebrow, somewhat confused by what Casitel seemed to be implying. "Lucifer, when you left... he wasn't the same... he.. what made you think he didn't want you around anymore?" The older Novak rolled his eyes, a ball of flame appearing in his hand, and he threw it towards the nearest tree. "He found out his... his friend was a mutant, and he shunned him. What would he have done if he found out I was a mutant? You too? He would have turned us in, registered us like cars or some animal. How can you find it in your heart to not see him as the enemy?" 

"If you would have stayed, maybe he would have changed, Lucifer!" Castiel was a bit surprised when he found himself shouting, and Lucifer chuckled at his response. "Do you even remember your older brother, Castiel? He beat you when he found out what you were, do you see him now? There was no changing that. Not now, not ever. You have more of a chance getting through this with me. Michael won't hurt you if he knows you're not alone. You can protect your friends, Castiel. We can end this mutant genocide," Lucifer was burning down more trees now, his smile widening. 

A small breach into his mind, and Castiel was stumbling backwards, almost falling onto Gabriel. "Oh, don't think I don't know all your tricks little brother. Meg and Ruby were right to inform me on everything they could find out about you. You see, I'm not exactly weaponless. Now, Castiel.... you could fix this for yourself, you know... but you won't. They told me you were traveling with a humans," Lucifer folded his arms over his chest again, the fires dying down as he did. How had Ruby and Meg known Dean was human? He hadn't exactly done anything, and now that Lucifer knew, Castiel could barely contain the rage he felt inside him. The warmth that had been surrounding them fading. Glancing towards Gabriel, who was still knocked out, he shuddered, his wings almost curling around his body in a false sense of protection. 

"No, Lucifer. I can't do that. Not now... thousands of people will die if you keep going like this, Lucifer. We only need them to understand... get them to sympathize, Lucifer. Everything can be fixed, and there can be peace. Please, brother," the cold had seeped into every limb he had, the hair on his arms rising, and his feathers and wings twitching as he made himself look smaller than he actually was. It was best if he avoided talking about Dean, he didn't need to prove his brother right. "No, Castiel. That could never happen, you know that.... but I see now that you're a lost cause. It just.. pains me to know that one day one of my men will have cut you down. Good bye little brother." Lucifer exhaled, shaking his head as he lifted off, flying away from the burned spot where they had talked. 

Castiel blinked, almost not believing that he had gotten out of this alive. He turned around to face Gabriel, his wing slowing healing as he leaned against the tree. Squatting down next to him, he gathered his friend, lifting him carefully as he tried to gain flight once more. Saying it was hard to get off the ground was an understatement, and he could barely get above the houses, let alone get to the clouds. Castiel ended up walking most of the time, taking back ways, alleys, and walking through the trees in order to get back to the cabin. 

He knocked on the door, making sure he wasn't letting Gabriel drag on the concrete. Sam opened the door seconds later, and his eyes grew wide as he saw Gabriel. They got him inside and lying on the bed, all of them around him, watching as the feathers repaired themselves, healing his body. "Castiel... what happened?" Cas shook his head, walking out of the room and sitting on the couch, his wings curled around him as he held his knees close. 

Sam and Dean joined him, Sam in the reclining chair while Dean sat on the coffee table. "We were flying, and Lucifer found us... he can control fire, but something was off about it. He... he threw fire at us, and Gabriel wasn't able to evade one of the flames. Our wings being sensitive, the heat and pain must have been too much." He hid his face, breathing deeply, trying to get over the fact that his brother could have killed them, and most likely would have. 

"Wait, Lucifer? He found you? What the hell did he want?" Castiel shook his head as Dean asked this, biting his lip. His brother was worse off than he had thought, and the fact that he no longer held any liking for his family, even him, was astonishing. "Cas, come on," Dean ran his hand through his left wing, and he shuddered, instantly aroused. "Dean," his voice came out rough and deep, and he swallowed, trying to fight it down. "He wanted.. he wanted me to join him against my brother, but I didn't, and I told him I couldn't.... Lucifer knows about you being a human, Dean. He's going to come after you before anyone else. Dean, I-" Dean stroked his wing again, trying to comfort him. "Cas, don't worry about it. We need to get you some rest, and we'll talk about things once Gabriel comes to, alright?" I'll get the blankets and sleeping bags from the Impala." 

Castiel nodded, shivering as he did. He was so cold now, and he looked to Sam, worry painted all over his face as he looked towards the bedroom. "He'll be alright.. it was more shock than anything that made him faint, Sam. Don't worry," Castiel nodded his head, Sam sighing as he stood and nodded his own. The taller mutant walked back to the bedroom, Dean walking in with the sleeping bags from when they had been camping. "I guess Sammy'll want to sleep next to him? God, he's such a girl," he chuckled, handing Castiel two sleeping bags as he walked into the bedroom with the other. 

They were situating themselves as Dean stopped, stilling his hands as he looked to Cas. "You okay, man?" Castiel nodded, scratching his back where the marks for his wings were. "You know, if you wanna sleep with them out, I'm fine with that," Dean was leaning on his elbows, looking at Cas as he said that. He smiled, and Cas sighed, letting his wings unfurl from his back, feeling relieved as they did. Sleeping on the ground in the front room wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing, but with his wings out, he felt an enormous amount of pressure lifted. Though how he would settle his wings, he didn't know. 

"Hey, Cas, we'll just sleep on top of them, your wings are pretty cozy anyways," Dean settled on top of his sleeping bag, facing Cas, his arm under the pillow. Cas mirrored him, his wings making the same hut like shape the same as the first night they had slept in the snow. "Goodnight, Dean," he whispered, closing his eyes. He then felt Dean's lips on his, and he relaxed into them, falling asleep soon after.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel doesn't understand either of his brothers, but they are both upsetting him.

A loud banging on the front door woke Castiel up, and he retracted his wings almost instantly, waking Dean up with the loss of warmth. "What the hell is going on?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. The banging continued, and Sam cam stumbling out of the bedroom. "Someone's here? Who?" He sauntered over to the door, looking through the peep hole. "Guys, we're screwed," Sam said, and as soon as he backed away from the door it was forced off it's hinges, hitting the ground with a resounding crash.

Men ran in, holding guns and the plastic shields, masks covering their faces. "Hands up where we can see them!" Castiel stared at the men, eyes wide. It would be easy for him to just paralyze them within their minds, but then what would they think of them? Dean slowly stood up, raising his hands above his head, his shirt rumpled from sleeping on the ground. Castiel followed suit, turning slowly to be facing where the bedroom door was. "Where's the other one?" one of the men asked, and Castiel stilled. 

_'Dean, Sam, go with them, I will collect Gabriel and fly away. Just stay safe. When the time comes, Sam, make your escape with Dean. I'll come for you,'_ Castiel sent the thought almost as soon as he shot forward into the hallway, and he darted into the bedroom. Gabriel was almost completely healed, just still unconscious as he lay on the bed. Castiel let his wings come out again, shutting the door behind him as he gathered Gabriel and his wings next to the window, opening that with his own wings, the glass shattering as it blew outwards. 

As soon as he jumped out of the window and was about to lift off from the ground, he heard helicopter blades whirling, and a spotlight was shining on him. Not just one, but three helicopters were hovering over the house, more vans and cars surrounding the small cabin. "Castiel, get back into the house. I'll talk to you there," the voice was Michael's and Castiel almost fell to his knees when he heard it. The men who had been surrounding the house stepped back, a neat circle forming around the house. Castiel carried Gabriel back into the house through the front door, Sam and Dean standing in the front room, staring at him. 

They got Gabriel situated on the cough, Sam sitting next to him while Dean sat on the reclining chair, Castiel standing in the middle of the room. "What're we supposed to do?" Sam whispered, still aware of the many people surrounding the house. 'We can do nothing, Sam. We just need to hope that Michael doesn't just capture us and put us in a prison,' Castiel was trembling as he sent the thought to each of them. He nudged Gabriel with his mind, but the mutant was still deep within his own subconscious. 

Castiel heard steps come from behind him, and he didn't need to look to know it was Michael, he didn't need to look in his mind or anything. His older brother just had this chill around him. He turned to see the older Novak standing in the doorway. Michael was a few inches taller than him (Castiel always knew he would forever be the little brother), wearing a neat navy blue suit with his black hair fixed just right for his job, his blue eyes boring into their souls, just as people would describe Castiel's own. "Castiel... it's nice to see you," came his cold, unemotional voice. "You as well, Michael.... Brother what're you doing?" As he had started to talk, Michael walked forward, now only a few feet away from Castiel. 

"I've come to capture the mutants who've been causing so much trouble. Lucifer is no where to be found... so you'll have to do," as Michael put his hand out to grab Castiel's arm, he froze. "Don't try much else, or I'll call them back in.. you think prison will be bad. Castiel, have your friend release me, whichever one it is," Michael looked from Dean to Sam and back. "Dean is human... there is no need to capture him, he should be able to go freely. Michael, he hasn't done anything," Castiel swallowed back the rest of what he could have said. 

Michael almost fell forward as Sam released his grip on him, and he straightened, patting out any creases in his suit. "I don't think that matters at this point. You were all wanted anyways, so it would be simple justice to bring him along as well." "But you won't do that, because we can get you Lucifer," Dean broke into their little family conversation, and Castiel turned to look at him. Dean gave him a look as though he knew what he was doing. "And how would you be able to do that?" "You see, we ran into him the other day, that's why our friend here is all comatose. Cas happens to know where he's gone, and if he's moved, he can find him easy," Dean sold it amazingly, his voice not faltering under any part of the half-lie. 

Michael turned to Castiel, "Is this true?" He nodded his head, not trusting himself to tell his own lie. Everyone knew he was a terrible liar. "Well, that changes things. We'll leave you here, and tomorrow morning I'll join you again, alone, so we can find him. Don't think about trying to escape either. We'll have helicopters surrounding the city, and we already have all the exits blocked. I guess that just leaves us to discuss-" "You can't hurt him," Castiel interrupted, swallowing his thought soon after. 

"What?" "You can't hurt Lucifer. He's just hurt... you hurt him before he left, and he's.... he's just trying to get back at you for it." Michael took a shaky breath, his hands clenching and unclenching as he moved his gaze from Castiel to the floor and back. "I hurt him? He left me, and then you followed, do you have any idea how much that hurt me? That both of my brothers were mutants, and I wasn't? You all leaving only told our parents that mutants really were different, were no longer the same as the family members they had lost. If you hadn't left... if you hadn't left, things would have been different."

"Leave... We'll see you tomorrow," Castiel closed his eyes as he said this, listening for the retreating footsteps of his brother. When Castiel was sure he was gone, he sighed, opening his eyes. The police men had all left, the helicopters were no longer around the house. They were alone again. Dean walked up behind him, placing his hand on Castiel's shoulder. "We better think of an escape plan... after we eat, and after the door and window are boarded up," he was working now, on what had to be done. There was a physical change to his face, emotionless as he tried to keep his true feelings towards the little argument in. 

Letting his wings come out, Castiel walked outside, flying onto the roof. He needed to think, and he needed to stay awake. He couldn't turn on one of his brothers, but having them both see sense was hopeless. What was he to do?


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean really thinks this isn't going to go well, and he also really hates Castiel's brothers.

The whole night had been spent resting, as there was noway to leave, and Gabriel had finally awoken only a few hours before they were to meet up with Michael. The house was also quiet the entire time, no one wanting to really talk. The only thing that really happened was Sam had started to get a headache, one Castiel could not help soothe. 

As the sun started to rise, Dean made his way around the house, picking up everything that was theirs and stuffing it in his car. Sure, he wouldn't be much help in chasing Lucifer down, but he was stuck with Michael riding around with him. That was gonna be awesome. Dean looked as Castiel silently paced around the kitchen, and he sighed, running his hand over his hair before walking over. "This is all gonna work out, okay, Cas? You gotta believe that," the words came out, but there was no force behind them. Dean couldn't believe them either. "Dean, there is no escape, you don't know my brother he... he gets what he wants, no matter what." The mutant just leaned onto the counter, his arms now crossed over his chest. 

"Well, if that were true, he would have captured us a while ago, right? We'll find a way out of this... you know, if Sammy gets better. He still has a headache?" The fact that it was now that his brother decided to have an episode was not okay. Sam would need to get over it fast, because he was their only chance in holding down Lucifer. He watched as Castiel looked off in the direction of the bedroom, and nodded his head as he returned to Dean. The perks of being a telepath he guessed. "It seems to have gotten worse. I wish I could help, I usually can lift mental pains like this. I do not understand," the mutant sighed, and Dean placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't sweat it. He just needs to breathe, and calm down or something. Maybe take some pain meds. Yeah, that's what he should do, be right back,: with that, Dean patted Castiel on the shoulder, who just stared after him as he headed back out to the car. 

The one thing he had been hoping of course was that they still had more time until the big douchebag was coming. Michael was getting let off by a large black car, tucking something into the back of his shirt, apparently unaware that Dean was out of the house and could see everything that he was doing. He walked over to the Impala, opened the trunk, and picked up the first aid kit, taking the bottle of pills from it before heading back to the house. Michael could damn well wait until they were ready, which was not now. 

Dean jogged towards the bedroom where he knew his litter brother would be lying down. He tossed the bottle onto his brother, who grumbled as he sat up, looking at it. "I don't think this is gonna work, Dean. My head feels like someone is purposefully banging gongs in it," Sam groaned, and Dean rolled his eyes. "We gotta hurry, dude. Michael is just outside the house, and he'll want to get going now," he looked around the room and nodded to himself. Everything was in the car, so if they made a run for it, or whatever it was that they were going to do to get away, they were prepared. 

Walking out of the bedroom, he turned to see Gabriel and Castiel standing by each other in the living room, Cas's wings were out, around him as he mindlessly corrected the feathers. "Michael's outside, isn't he? Why haven't you let the dick in?.. No pun intended," he eyed Gabriel, who only smirked, though it didn't stay on his face for long. "I told him to wait until we were ready, since at the moment he can not control us. Dean... I still think we shouldn't try to escape... I just don't think it the smartest idea. Someone could get hurt," Castiel was staring at him now, and Dean couldn't help but stare right back. 

"Cassie, that's not the point. If your brother does get us, we'll be more hurt than if we manage to get away. Anyways, we should probably get ready to go and all, seeing as mister prick out there is getting impatient. I'll get gigantor," Gabriel smirked and turned on his heels towards the bedroom, leaving Castiel and Dean standing there. "Dean, I really think-" Cas was stopped as Dean just stepped forward and kissed him, shutting him up. Hey, he wasn't one to do this, but Cas needed to shut the hell up and know that they were getting out of this, no matter what. "I'll get you out of this, and I'll try not to die this time, okay?" He stepped back, and smirked at Cas, whose cheeks were slightly pink as he nodded his head. 

Dean the turned towards the door, opening it to see Michael get off his cell phone. "Ah, so are you finally ready? It took you a while," of course Michael had to sound all like he was in charge of everything, and Dean kept from scowling at him. "We're almost ready, and you'll be riding with me in the car, since Cas and Gabe are gonna need their strength," it wasn't a suggestion, either Michael did this, or he wasn't a part of this whole capture thing. He closed the door after the guy walked in, and he couldn't help but frown at how Michael looked around the place. "I assume you don't own this cabin... correct?" "None of your business now, is it? Just shut up and sit down, we're almost ready, and we don't need you getting in the way," Dean couldn't help but be mean. This guy had apparently beaten the crap outta Cas way back when, and that was something he wouldn't be able to forgive. Ever. 

Sam walked out with Gabe, and they were smiling, which only made Dean hope they hadn't had a quick one before they joined them. "You okay, Sammy?" "I'm fine Dean, can we get this over with?" Dean looked to Cas, while the mutant seemed to be worried about something. "Cas?" The mutant shook his head, nodding as he walked out of the house, everybody following him. Dean was the last out, shrugging his jacket on. Winter was just about over, but it was cold, of course he would need a jacket. 

Cas and Gabriel were standing next to one another know, on the crest of the hill, Sam behind them. "Stay behind me, and above the clouds, we need to make sure he doesn't know we're coming, especially with Michael," he instructed, loud enough that they all head. Michael seemed a bit put back by that, but Dean only rolled his eyes, lowering his head as he got into his car. "Come on, we don't have all day.. Cas? You make sure to use your mind radio thing to tell me where he is, alright?" As if answering there was a short poke in his mind, not something harmful, more warm and soft than anything. And well, damn him if Dean said it felt nice. Michael got into the shotgun seat, and Dean started the ignition, the motor roaring to life as they drove away from the cabin. 

It started off better than Dean had thought. It seemed as though Lucifer had left some sort of trail, not one he knew about, but then there was also the locations of the previous fires, and Cas was sure to check those places first. Michael was silent in the passenger seat, which Dean was just fine with as he put a cassette tape in and continued driving according to the directions Cas was giving him via his mind. The only thing Dean didn't like about the situation was that it seemed to be taking longer than he had originally thought, which means the plans to escape would need to be altered, though he didn't really have any other plans than just getting the hell out of there. 

It was sometime past lunch, and they hadn't stopped for food, much to Michael's dislike, that Cas seemed to sense something. That and there was a rather large building that had been set aflame in the eastern part of the city. Breaking all speed limits he knew, Dean was racing towards the address Cas had given him, parking the car a two blocks away, not wanting his baby to get any scratches from flying fire or rubble. Sam and Gabriel landed close by him, and Dean checked in the trunk, grabbing a shotgun instead of using a hand one. He loaded it and walked closer ot the building, Gabriel flying to be atop of one of the closer buildings, and Sam walking next to him. 

Just a little ways away the building in question, which happened to be an old cafe, was burning, the ceiling crashing down and making ambers fly everywhere. Cas landed next to him, his wings being folded up close to him, to avoid them catching on fire. "Is he in there, do you think?" Cas nodded, and looked to Dean, who prepared to have his mind penetrated, 'I feel him in there, and so does Gabriel. Dean, he is doing this for a reason, he drew us here. Something is wrong.' Dean felt it to, the wrongness of how they had found this. Lucifer could have screwed up, but he didn't think Cas doubted his brother that much. 

"Well, what are we waiting for? Sam, can you make the fire around the entrance die down or something?" his brother nodded his head, and the flames disappeared, and dust settled. Gabriel was still flying above, knowing if anyone could catch Lucifer in the air it would be him. "Then let's get going," he waved his arm forward and walked cautiously towards the burning building. He really hoped this wasn't a trap.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean hates being wrong, he freaking hates it. Of course the universe just loves it though.

Though of course within the first few seconds after they entered the building Dean just had to be proved wrong. It started with the simple act of them being closed in on the burning building, though from what Dean could see from inside the small cafe, nothing was burning. The inside looked perfectly fine, except the corners of the room seemed to be burning despite everything else. Dean looked around, his gun still held up as he surveyed the area. It just looked... normal. A small cafe with tables, the chairs stacked to the side, probably from everybody closing up shop and evacuating, and a counter in the back, which his gaze stopped on. 

There, sitting on top of the counter, just holding a small photo album was Lucifer. His silver wings were to either side of him as he quietly turned the pages, paying them no mind. Dean didn't quite know what to think of it. He brought the gun up to take careful aim, since Lucifer hadn't shown that he had noticed the, and was about to shoot when he heard him chuckling. "I wouldn't do that if I were you pesky human," with just a small flick towards him, Dean's gun exploded in his face, sending him backwards, his back hitting a pillar before he fell to the ground. 

Dean shook his head, only to stop when that hurt. He moved his hand to feel the back and it came back with a small amount of blood. He cursed and started to get up, looking at Castiel and Sam as he did. Both were still standing in their spots, neither of them had moved or even looked to try and get to him, which he didn't blame. They did not want t fuck this chance up, because they wouldn't get another, end of story. Though he knew Castiel was thinking for him, probing his mind to see how hurt he was. There was just this feeling that came over him when he did, but he thinks that maybe Cas does that on purpose so Dean knows when he can't hide anything. 

Looking back to the dangerous mutant, Dean felt around in his pants, trying to find his knife, only to come up empty handed. He looked around, and saw Michael, standing there, his hands at his side, just glaring at Lucifer. "It looks like big brother finally came home from work," with that, Lucifer burned the photo album, after grabbing one picture from it, and jumped off of the counter. "I haven't seen you in such a long time, big brother, I hope things are well.. though, I'm not too sure I hope that," he smiled, now leaning on the counter instead, basically just keeping the same place occupied, like he had all the time in the world to talk to Michael.

"Lucifer, you have no reason for doing this... you should just come with me, and we'll," he seemed to pause, realizing he wasn't alone with his brother,"work this out." Dean had no idea why he was still helping. He should have just let Lucifer tear Michael to bits, hell, he doesn't like either of the assholes. The only reason he was really here was because Cas thought there was something worth saving, and he didn't want to let him down. And now was not the time for him to think further into that. Speaking of Cas, his angel was stepping forward, fidgeting with his wing. 

"Brothers... I think if you really thought about it... that this can be avoided," his voice came out strong, but Dean knew he was probably trembling, not that he could see it, since that whack to the head had blurred his vision just a bit. Michael turned to look at Castiel, his eyes narrowing. Lucifer was also now looking to his younger brother, his arms crossed over his chest, his wings poofing out on either side of him as he stepped closer. "... Castiel, I think it would be wise if you and your friends left. This is an argument between your older brothers. Don't make me treat it like old times." That one sentence must have brought back memories, because Castiel visibly flinched and stepped backwards, almost all the way to Dean. 

"We aren't leaving, nope. Not gonna happen. You need to stop being all-" he stopped as Cas sent him a glare. 'Dean, it would not be wise of you to speak right now. We, Sam and I, are going to try to knock Lucifer out, it would be best if you kept Michael occupied so he does not get i the way,' the thought rang loud and clear through his mind, and he almost nodded, but that would have given something away. "Castiel, I know you're using your little powers, and I may not know what you're thinking, but I'm not defenseless here, you know that," Lucifer chuckled and placed his hands on his hips, fire surrounding his feet in a ring. 

Castiel wasn't put back by that though, Dean could tell, and he just smirked. This Lucifer guy really underestimated his little brother, at least he hoped so. When Dean looked over to his brother though, he knew something was wrong. His face was contorted in pain, and his eyes were almost completely closed. Why did everything bad have to happen when they couldn't afford to mess up? "Sam, you with us?" he whispered, hoping his brother could hear. Apparently, the others could hear too, and Lucifer grinned, looking over Sam. 

"Aw, does the little boy have a headache? You want me to fix that? I could if you wanted me to," Lucifer was playing around, he had to be, because if he wasn't, he was about to get a face full of fist. Dean tried to steady himself though, because really, this wasn't going to end well, for anyone, so why worry? He would probably be the one six feet under in the end anyways, but that wouldn't keep him from socking this dick. Though Dean didn't get too much time to really think about that, because Lucifer suddenly stepped back. 

He didn't know what was happening, but the weird guy was holding his head, glaring at Castiel, who was in turn staring at him, unblinking. Dean knew some heavy mind shit must be going down, so he hurried over to Sam, grabbing his shoulder. "Sam, dude, you okay?" "Yeah, Dean... it was just.. another vision. God, those freaking hurt," his brother managed to chuckle, though it stopped short as he shut his eyes again. "A vision? Well, what did you see? Would it help out to know right about now before Lucifer kills us all in flames?" Sam shook his head and righted his footing. "No, it wouldn't, so I"ll just tell you about it later, alright? I gotta help Cas KO this asshole," he smirked and turned to be facing Lucifer as well. 

So much for Dean helping at all. He was stuck doing nothing, and in his nothingness, he had started to look around the building. The flames were seeping in, and he only guessed that was because Lucifer didn't have all his attention on it now. And then the fireballs started. Sam had begun to send these shock waves, which Dean could barely feel, through the room and towards the Lucifer, and Dean was trying to stay level. To retaliate, Lucifer began sending flames from his hands, not really caring where he was aiming, because the building would be coming down anyways at this rate. 

Then Dean saw Michael. The politician in question was reaching for something under his sports jacket, and well, Dean couldn't help but look as the oldest Novak brought out a small handgun. Dean had forgotten all about that small little gun, and he guessed he was paying for it now as he pointed it at Sam. "SAM!" He lunged forward, hoping he could somehow get Michael off of his feet. Though he hadn't really thought this through, because Michael jumped out of the way as he pulled the trigger, shooting. Dean looked up from where he was now kneeling and sighed in relief. Michael had missed, but Dean only got a second to appreciate that when there was a deafening crack close by. 

The walls were burning through completely, and it was only a matter of seconds before they cam crashing down on all of them, and none of them would escape, and that would be a damn shame. Dean was quick to be by Sam's side, watching as he bombarded Lucifer with blasts from his mind. The middle Novak was losing ground quickly, but stopped for a second, a grin splitting his face. "You've all lost," and with that, he looked around him, and he spread his wings out one last time, fire extending from every inch of his being, and he sent it out, forcing the flames to burn through every surface and thing in its way. 

Dean shouted to Sam and Cas to get out, shielding his eyes as one particularly powerful blast came his way. Even his eyelids couldn't hide the force of the fire coming at him, and the heat seemed to kill him too. Everything, for at least a couple seconds, was completely white. Then everything went black.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't looking up to Castiel, but they are for Sam.

Castiel, for once in his life, couldn't comprehend what was happening. He no longer felt Lucifer's mind, which meant that he was either gone to them, or he had somehow escaped. Though right now it didn't matter, because Dean was no longer conscious. In a way, he had connected their minds long ago, not always lurking, but he knew when he was awake or asleep, those types of things. This did not feel like either one. 

Fire had been shot at him, Castiel knew that, and he was quick to run to Dean's side, using his wings to try and shield him from the flames that were surrounding them. 'Sam, you must get out on your own, I will be right behind you, see if Michael-' as he was sending this thought towards the younger Winchester he felt for his oldest brother and found nothing. Things were definitely not good. 

Sam seemed to understand the gist of what he had been thinking though, and was pushing the front wall forward with his powers to escape. Castiel looked around, trying to find a big enough hole that he could fly out of. Flames were licking at the top of the cafe that had seeped down and almost broke. If he could exert enough pressure there, he should be able to fly out of the small burning building. He had to act quick though, as the air around him became filled with smoke. If he didn't move now, he'd suffocate, and Dean wouldn't be the only one to burn with the building. 

Holding Dean close to him, he knelt close to the ground before pushing his legs up and rising above the slowly melting linoleum floor. His wings boosted him up and he raised one elbow towards the roof, which he knew would be fragile. It still hurt as he broke through, the fires swarming around him, burning at his skin and feathers, the smoke threatening to stop him breathing, but he kept moving. He had to. For Dean. For Sam. Sam would never forgive him if he failed to save his brother.

Castiel was flying over the building, and he flew higher, and further, to get away from the mass of smoke accumulating in a dense cloud above the cafe. He needed to get away, and quick before he lost his chance to save Dean. He felt Gabriel and Sam follow after him as he sped back towards the house. Though as he landed, he couldn't feel their presence, and he decided they must have gone back for something. 

Using his wings, he burst open the door to the cabin and hurried to the bedroom, lying Dean down on the bed before removing his outer jacket. Castiel placed his ear over his chest and sighed. Dean's heart was beating; he was breathing, if barely, but he was alive. Letting out a shaky breath he looked to Dean and stopped. His face and arms were covered with burns, but how they had gotten there, through his jacket which was unharmed no less, was a mystery to him. Lucifer had to have done something special, there was no other explanation, and he didn't dare try to come up with one while his friend lay almost dying.

Rushing into the kitchen, he filled a large mixing bowl with cold water and grabbed a towel. There was no ice in the freezer for some reason, so this would have to do. Dean was still out when he walked back in, and it seemed that his breathing was slowing, which wasn't a good sign. Castiel quickly dampened the towel, rubbing it over the burns lightly and hoping that it did something. When he did this for several minutes, and it didn't seem like anything was happening he shuddered, throwing the bowl across the room and moving the towel to the floor before he moved the bed. 

Placing his hands on the side of Dean's head, he focused, willing his healing energy to leave him again. It of course brought his own injuries closer to his mind, the massive amount of burns he had sustained blaring to life as he tried to fix Dean. In the background, he registered that Sam and Gabriel were back, and they had retrieved Dean's car, apparently knowing what Cas was doing. He shuddered again as he sent another wave of his power into Dean, watching as the burns slowly healed. Something was wrong though. These burns weren't healing as fast as they should be. Was he growing weaker? Or was something different about the fire? He hadn't sensed anything, and it had seemed normal enough. Castiel didn't understand. 

He was growing weaker, and he had only been able to heal the most serious of injuries, but there were still others that would be threatening if left unattended. He couldn't stand any longer though, so he knelt behind Dean, his forehead against his hair as he tried harder to heal him. Castiel felt someone touch his shoulder, and he gasped, looking to see Gabriel. "Cas, buddy, you need to rest. Let me help, okay? You're gonna kill yourself at this rate," his voice was soft, something he wasn't used to hearing, especially from Gabriel. He shrugged the hand away, looking back to Dean, trying to collect himself. "No, I need to heal him, and if this doesn't work.. I wouldn't.. I couldn't.. Gabriel, I need to do this, alone." Castiel couldn't have Gabriel take any of the blame when Castiel couldn't save Dean. If it was going to be anybody's fault, it was going to be his, and his alone. 

With the way things were looking, Castiel was going to put himself on the brink of death in order to save Dean, but it didn't matter. Blood was dripping from where his burns had ripped away the skin, and he knew he looked a mess, but this was nothing compared to how he would feel if he let Dean die. Gabriel seemed to sense it, and Castiel thanked him mentally when he left, closing his eyes once again, focusing only on Dean. He couldn't afford to do anything else. 

The pain though, as he continued, began to get unbearable, and he couldn't keep back his screams as he felt the burns sharpen in his wings, threatening to send him the same place Dean was already. He couldn't stop the inevitable after all. Castiel just swallowed, a single tear falling down his face as he collapsed on the ground next to the bed. 

______________________

Sam barely knew anything of what was going on anymore. All he knew was that Gabriel had told him they would go back and fetch the Impala, and that Cas was taking care of Dean. He understood fully that Cas needed to do this, though he was still worried for his older brother. Not that he didn't trust Cas, it was just that when Dean was hurt, Sam would usually be the one to take care of him, or at least he had been. He was still getting used to the whole 'being around other people for more than a week' thing.

As they stepped into the house, Sam instantly knew something was wrong. Gabriel was rushing ahead of him, into the bedroom, and he stood by the entrance to the hallway, wondering if he was in any place to help. Dean wasn't okay, that he knew, but Gabriel and Castiel didn't seem to want him helping, even though he knew that he could. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He couldn't hear anything coming from the other room, and this shouldn't be happening. Not after the vision he had. 

Gabriel walked out of the room, sighing, his hands crossed over his chest. "The little guy just doesn't want any help," he muttered, and Sam raised an eyebrow. "What? Help with what? Dean's okay, right?" He stared at his boyfriend, wishing he had Cas's power for once. "He will be, but Cas is trying to heal everything, and it won't work out if he just gives up all that energy," Gabe looked back to the room as he said this, his face turning worried in seconds as he rushed back in. 

Sam followed him, and almost wished he hadn't. Dean lay burned on the bed, and Castiel, almost in a small pool of blood, was lying on the ground behind the bed, which had been moved to the middle of the room. "Goddammit," Gabe cursed, rushing to move Cas away from the bed, and onto his stomach, so the burns on his wings could be assessed. "I can't heal both of them," Gabriel muttered. "Then heal Cas, until he isn't bleeding so much, I'll deal with Dean, okay?" Gabe looked at him, and nodded almost instantly, carrying Cas to the front room, leaving the brothers alone. 

"Okay, Dean. This isn't what's supposed to happen. All my visions come true, and you were definitely not dead in that vision," Sam looked his brother over, and sighed, ripping Dean's shirt off, along with his light jacket. Them and wearing so many freaking layers. He had to hold back vile as he looked at the burns. At least no bone was showing, but he felt that there was almost some. Sam needed to get moving if he wanted to save his brother. 

Rushing into the kitchen, he grabbed a towel and soaked it clean through. He grabbed another, leaving it dry, and went back in. Cleaning off the blood wasn't that hard, and soon it was just fresh second degree burns blaring red up at him. He threw the towels to the corner of the room and was out again, this time to the Impala. Sam opened the trunk and took the first aid kit out. Packing bandages was something they did almost religiously, and he knew there would be enough to patch his brother up. At least he hoped, he hadn't really seen his brother this busted up before, especially from a fire. 

Getting the bandages on Dean's body was another matter altogether, and Gabe came in halfway through and began helping him. They were done in no time, and and they moved the bed over, and moved the couch into the same bedroom, placing Castiel on it. They were stuck in the house, with two unconscious men. Sam was more then freaked out, because this seemed to be the only time his vision would be wrong. This wasn't good, he couldn't shake that feeling. 

They were sitting in the front room, Sam on the chair, Gabriel sitting in front of him. He couldn't help but run his hands through his boyfriend's golden brown hair, and he finally stopped when Gabriel mentioned it. "Sorry, I'm just anxious," he said, letting out a shaky breath as he leaned back into the leather. "I can tell... but about what? Your brother? You've done all you can for him. We've just got to wait, and hope," Gabe smiled at him, taking his hand. 

"It's just that, before everything got complicated, I had a vision, which was probably why I was having the headache of the century all the time before. It was actually good for once, and it doesn't look like it's going to happen, but I want more than anything for it to be true," he just couldn't explain it. The feeling the future he had seen in the vision gave Sam something more than happiness. It wasn't something he could just convey easily into words, and he guessed he was lucky he didn't have to. Gabriel placed a hand on his knee, and Sam just closed his eyes, thinking back to the vision he had had. 

Gabriel blinked, apparently feeling what Sam was via his empathy , and he just stood up. "Sam... if it made you feel like that.... what did you see?" Sam just took a few uneven breathes and looked to Gabriel. "It was something... ugh, it was just so amazing, and I don't really want to say... what if it doesn't happen?" "Have all your visions come true?" Sam nodded, and Gabriel smirked. "Then this one will too. Don't worry. You can't be wrong by your standings." At least that gave him a little hope. Castiel and Dean just had to pull through, there was no other way his vision could come true.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything turns out fine.

When Dean woke up, he was in a very different place. He could barely remember what had happened the last few days, at least he thought they were the last few days. He sat up and rubbed his head, stopping almost as soon as he picked up his arm. Everywhere on his body screamed in protest as he moved, the pain shooting from places that shouldn't be hurt. He groaned and just laid back down on the bed. Dean would need to get up later, when everything didn't hurt. So the only thing he could really do was fall back asleep, which he did promptly. 

\----------

The second time Dean was roused from slumber he could sit up without grimacing too much, but he felt that getting off of the bed was out of the question. Instead, he looked over his body and bit his tongue. There were burns everywhere, and even though they didn't look that bad, they still hurt more than anything he had experienced. Since he knew getting up was a lost cause, he looked around him. 

He was stationed in a bed in a small room. It didn't look like the bedroom back at the cabin, so he had been moved. There was an IV connected to his arm, which probably meant he had been out for more than a couple days. The room itself was plain and dusty, a bookshelf stuffed with different bindings of papers and whatnot, with a lamp standing on top. Then the door opened. 

Dean wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as Sam walked through he sighed, relieved that his little brother hadn't gotten hurt. "Heya Sammy. You alright?" His voice came out hoarse, and he wished he had some water. "Hey Dean! I'm fine, though I think I should be the one asking you that. Do you want anything? Are you comfortable? Is there something wrong?" The onslaught of questions caught him off guard, and Sam had only been like this when he was really messed up, which he apparently was. "I'm fine, though some water'd be nice." He tried to swallow the small amount of thick saliva in his mouth; it didn't help. 

"Oh yeah, of course. I'll be right back," and with that, Sam left the room, leaving him alone again. He would need to try and get out of bed soon enough, because just sitting around was not the Dean Winchester way. He groaned and laid back on the bed after moving the pillows in such a way that his back would be supported. Sam came running back in not minutes later, a large glass of water in his hands, along with a tray filled with food. "Man, you have no idea how good it is to see you up. Bobby was getting worried that you'd stay under, and we would need to take you to the hospital, and-" "Wait, we're at Bobby's?" Sam paused, placing the tray down on the bedside table before nodding. "Yeah, we needed to get out of Tahoe, and Gabe and I drove the whole way, only stopping for food.. We were really worried about you." It was silent again. 

"Where's Cas?" Sam looked at him, and glanced outside of the door before leaving again. Well shit, it didn't seem like he would be getting any answers today. He huffed and took his glass of water, downing it in almost one go, his throat feeling a lot better once it had been finished. Dean then looked to the food to find a ham sandwich and an apple, and he picked up the sandwich, taking a large bite. Now that he thought about it, he was starving, and the sandwich was gone almost instantly, which lead him to pick up the apple and devour that as well. 

As soon as he was finished he heard the door creak again, and he saw Sam walk in, opening the door more behind him. Cas walked in after, his wings almost trailing on the ground. The state they were in shocked Dean to the core. Feathers were askew, or burned, or just completely gone, and there were some burns along the top of the wing that showed the fleshy part. "Cas, are you okay?" The mutant nodded and walked forward, touching Dean's hand before sitting in the chair close by, his wings coming around him. "Cas... god, are you sure? Your wings look like shit, and I'm pretty sure you must've been worse off than me, I mean... you saved me, right?" Another nod. 

"Damn it, Cas. Why aren't you answering me with words?" He just wanted to hear his voice was all. He'd been out like a light, and now all he got was nods and shakes. "I'm tired is all, Dean. I did not mean to upset you," and there was that deep gravely voice Dean lov- liked so much. "Why are you so tired? I've only been out for a couple days, right?" Castiel looked to Sam, and then back to Dean. "Almost two weeks, Dean. It's nearly spring now." Blinking, Dean just relaxed fully into the pillows, unable to believe that he had been out for two weeks. That was a long time to be comatose, but why had he been? "What happened then? To Lucifer and Michael? Did they just vanish? Did they escape?" Castiel said nothing, and Dean looked to Sam, who apparently thought it appropriate to leave while he and Cas were talking, because he slipped out the door. 

He knew that Michael and Lucifer had been Cas's older brothers... but they hadn't been the best, they had barely been family, so he couldn't care that much, could he? "They were my only family, Dean." That said it all, and Dean couldn't suppress his sigh. So I take it they're gone? Do you know what happened?" "It's hard to explain, if you could let me just-" "Do it, I don't care." Actually, when he thought about it, the whole mind transference, the thoughts being pushed into his mind, it was soothing, having someone else know what he was thinking and knowing that they wouldn't take advantage of it. 

Castiel nodded and moved his chair closer, pressing Dean's temple with his index finger. Pictures and sounds over took Dean's senses, and he was seeing through Castiel's eyes. He was carrying himself, and flying towards hotel, and there was this hole in him, not physical, but it was almost. He saw as Cas healed him, and almost killed himself in the process. Dean watched as Castiel helped move him into the car, and then after a long car ride, into Bobby's house. The man in question was upset at him for almost getting killed, but seemed worried enough to not let it overtake him. 

Then days went by, where Cas would just simply sit by his bedside, sometimes taking his wing and brushing the feathers over his face and arms. How he would try and heal him a bit more, knowing he couldn't spare the energy if he wanted to be with Dean. Castiel was sitting in the living room, his wings still around him as he watched the television. Apparently neither of the brothers had escaped the fire, or they were both hidden well enough so no one could find them. Michael had been the one person mostly against the mutants, and it seemed as though things were changing, though the topic of what had happened in Tahoe still came up a lot. 

Castiel and the rest of them were still wanted, but not as much as before, as finding the lost senator was the main problem, not some mutants who hadn't even been in the same place apparently. That meant no more running, and it signified their final escape and that they were safe. It stopped there, and Dean blinked as Castiel moved his hand away, his eyes closed. 

"Cas... I'm sorry... but, you know, if you want, you could always be a part of our family," it was harder than ever for Dean to say that. Accepting someone else into his small circle of confidents was hard, and well, what the hell, he felt he could trust Castiel. The guy had saved his ass more times than he cared to remember. Cas stared at him, confusion and surprise written on his face. "I would like that... very much.. Thank you, Dean," and then he smiled. Dean couldn't help but smile back, and when Castiel got up to leave, he pulled down on his wrist, bringing him close enough to kiss him. "Hey, this'll be hard... but I'm gonna try not to fuck up. I'll try." Castiel kissed him again before leaving. Dean was pretty sure that he was one of the luckiest guys in the world. 

\----------

Castiel smiled as he rolled over in bed, opening his eyes just a crack to see Dean soundly sleeping next to him. It was now almost the end of April, and they had been in Sioux Falls for the entire time, now in their own house. He could feel in his mind, Sam and Gabriel somewhere else in the small building, seemingly making breakfast for them all. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Dean's lips, placing his hand on his chest before lying back down. Dean rolled over to look at him, his eyes barely open. "Hey," he said, his own smile lighting up his face. "Hello." 

It went from there, and they finally got up from bed, dressing to go out to the kitchen to see if the others had successfully made something without burning the house down. Castiel scratched his stomach through the thin shirt, looking down to see that it was Dean's old ACDC rag. It was suitable enough for at home, so he just continued walked till he saw Gabriel and Sam sitting at the table. "Good morning," he then across from Gabriel, taking a plate and filling it with pancakes. Dean sat next to him, across from Sam, and did the same thing. 

"Well look who finally woke up. I thought you two would be in bed all day," Gabriel chuckled as he continued to pour syrup over his drenched pancakes. "I'm sure I could take that offer, and bring Dean back to bed, but you all know we have somewhere to be today," he smiled as Sam and Gabriel both cringed, Dean chuckling next to him as he forked some of the pancake into his mouth. "No, we're fine. We do have to go to Bobby's today anyways, and no wasting time with sex. We've got two hours," Sam seemed to not want anything to distract them from Bobby's big day. Dean started laughing, and Castiel breached his mind, his face flushing almost instantly. "That's enough time for a number of things. Cas and I call the shower first!" Dean was up almost instantly, pulling on Cas's hand towards the hallway. "Gross, Dean! We have to use that!" "Not my problem!" he shouted back, smiling as he pulled Cas in for a kiss and they entered the bathroom. 

They all gathered in Bobby's backyard that afternoon, surrounding the man as he just fidgeted in his chair. Anna and Balthazar were there already, and Castiel stood, pleased that everyone who was important was here. He grabbed Dean's hand, folding them together before they looked to Bobby. "So, they really said today was the day? You sure you're ready for it?" Balthazar seemed a bit worried, which was weird by him, but today was important. Lately, another mutant had joined them, a young boy named Jesse, and he seemed to create impossible things, and fix the unfixable, Bobby's paralysis being one of them. The old man nodded, and looked around. "Where is the boy anyways?" "I'm right here! Sorry I'm late.. I needed to get my cape out," the boy, who was about eleven now, came running through the cars till he stood in front of Bobby. 

"Are you ready?" Bobby nodded, and Jesse placed his hand on Bobby's legs, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he stepped back and nodded to him. Taking a big breath, Bobby used his arms to lift himself up, placing his feet on the ground. When he stood up, and of his own accord, everyone clapped. "Boy, you've done and made a miracle," Bobby hugged Jesse, and everyone was cheering. Castiel squeezed Dean's hand, laying his head on his shoulder. 

"Well, isn't this something," Gabriel seemed to say to himself, "Seems your vision was right, Sam. Told you not to doubt them." The short mutant nudged the taller one in the ribs. Sam smiled and nodded. "Aren't I glad I'm right," he continued to smile, and waved to Castiel and Dean. "What is he talking about?" Dean asked, whispering to Cas. "I don't think it matters... why don't we cut into the pie?" "Thought you'd never ask." It was at this point that Castiel knew what it was like to be truly happy.


End file.
